Bleed It Out
by ShyAnon
Summary: Vergil died the day Dante defeated him on Mallet Island. Or so he thought... Sequel to Bleed For Me. Rating could change in later chapters. R&R! CHAPTER 15 up!
1. Illusions

**Aha! I told you I'd be back...eventually. I'm still working hard on Nothing But Trouble, but long before that was even a concept in my head I promised you all this. **

**NOTE: This is a sequel to my story Bleed For Me. I would recommend reading it first, but then again I won't force you to do it...lol Just something to keep in mind.**

**Originally meant to be titled "Bleed For Me: Redemption" I decided instead to switch the name to Bleed It Out... Firstly because the lyrics to Linkin Parks "Bleed it Out" fit perfectly with the concept I have in mind for this story, and secondly it works because it somewhat matches the first stories name :D**

**Now I am aware that some fans do not like the Dante/Trish pairing. I've never had a problem with Trish except she was never given much depth, (unlike Lady) which is why I think so many kind of brush her off. I wanted to try and give her a little more color, and really look into the "what happened after" scenario. Dante was a lifelong bachelor after all, and Trish was a newly freed "pawn" who had never really lived. Once the glory of beating Mundus faded what would they have left? I hope to explore it more, and hopefully create a Trish that even her "haters" can see eye to eye with... We'll see.**

**Also, Amy will be coming into this story (in a non-over-the-phone way)...later on. Bleed for Me revolved around her quite a bit, but I wanted this story to be about Dante and Vergil. They've come to a crossroad where the things that once held them apart are no longer there. I feel the only way I can do this any justice is to make them the main focus and bring Amy in slowly down the road. I haven't written beyond this chapter (I have been grueling over it since the end of Bleed For me!), so from here out it's as much of a surprise for me as it is you. :)**

**The rating might change further down the road, depending on where I take it.**

**I am also going to work hard at replying to all reviews personally if it kills me. You took the time to review, so I'll take the time to reply. :) Constructive criticism welcomed always. Thanks again guys for all your continuing support.**

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**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 1**

Ill-fated was how one could describe the life of a hunter. After all, it was a dangerous job filled with loss, violence, and a never ending string of enemies to overcome before they overcame you. A lot can change in the terms of years, even on the devil's time. An entire lifetime can be brought to a stand still with one single event. For Dante there had been several worth mentioning.

His building, the place he had actually stayed put, was hardly recognizable now to how it was then. In the place of broken down furniture, empty pizza boxes, beer bottles, numerous bullet holes, and cuts in the wall were now only a small part of his past. Sure, he didn't go all Martha Stuart, but he had a business to run and two females to keep him in check. Not that he needed it, or else would never tell _them_ that.

He had found a quiet stability that he'd never even considered he could have. After all, when you spend so much time hunting the darker things in life it's very hard to be stable about anything. Dante found that he was no longer a viral young boy, but an older man who was beginning to see the promise in quiet. Well, maybe not too much quiet.

"DANTE!" A scream broke out from the loft above. Soft thudding could be heard from upstairs, but the sooner it came the more apparent it was that someone was stomping boots against the wooden floor. A woman strode into the hallway, leaning over the side to look into the room below. Her different colored eyes surveyed the downstairs as if she were looking for a fresh kill. When she didn't find anyone she pushed back from the banister and continued to stomp down the stairs. "Don't hide from me you coward!" She yelled again.

Dante held his breath, unable to make it to the front door before her boots were close enough to catch him. It was unlike him to hide, well, it use to be. Lady was the resident devil of this place, and his angel was currently out of town.

It had been a little over a month since Dante and Trish had returned from Mallet Island. Dante was still basking in the glow of defeating Mundus, while Trish was having difficulty adjusting to her new life with him. If the truth be told, he too was not sure how this whole "relationship" thing was supposed to go. He had been a bachelor for so long, it was odd waking up to the same person every morning.

At times he'd woken in a terror, feeling the same impulse to pull away, to run from her that he always did with the women he woke up with. When he looked at her beside him though, her hand resting at the back of his neck, cheek pressed to his chest he couldn't help but settle. It was so odd, but the fear was fleeting and replaced by warmth previously unknown to him. The feelings he felt for her could only be described as fragile. As if he could wake and find her not there at all, and for some unknown reason it frightened him to think of it.

Lately though, Trish had been having nightmares as well. He would wake up to find her sitting up on the bed, sweat making her hair cling to her shoulders. She was ice cold to the touch though. He would always pull her protectively back to him, saying nothing at all because he didn't really know what to say to her. He wouldn't sleep until he could feel her heavy against him, breathing softly. He partly wondered though if she pretended to be asleep for his sake.

It had finally come up though, and she had asked him if she could return to Mallet alone.

"I need to figure out where I come from." She said, idly turning her cup in her hand.

"What do you think you'll find there? Mundus told you…"

"Dante… I know what he told me, but I have memories of another life. Not as your mother, but of growing up. I don't know what I was before Mundus, but I'm hoping that maybe I can find out." She looked up at him with tired eyes. Dante knew better than anyone what tragedies went on inside a person's dreams. He wondered if that was what had been keeping her up at night.

"And if you find nothing?" He asked.

"I will come home." Trish put emphasis on "home", and Dante was grateful to hear it. He reached a hand out and took her hand in his. He didn't like it, her going back there alone, but how could he stop her? Dante had gone home once, to where this all began, and it did help even if it brought up painful memories. He leaned over and kissed her.

"When do you plan to go?" He asked, pulling her into his chair and grinning as a startled laugh met his lips.

"Tomorrow I guess. The sooner the better."

"Well then." Dante said thoughtfully, running a hand down her back, fingers twining into her hair as he went. "We should get started on a proper goodbye now then?" He practically tackled her to the floor. The warmth of her laughter filled him, and eased the trouble mind he hid so well as he lowered his face to hers. All the while hoping to God Lady didn't decide she needed to come into the kitchen anytime soon.

Dante stood now in his office, behind the door where he hoped Lady wouldn't find him. He grinned at the thought of his last night with Trish, who had been gone for two weeks now. Since then he and Lady were at each other's throats without her to mediate between them. He liked Lady, don't get him wrong, but she had been so brutal to him since Trish left. So he had borrowed a couple of her guns, walked in on her while she was in the tub… She had yelled at him about leaving the toilet seat up so many times he got angry and ripped it off.

"Problem solved!" He'd yelled.

Dante still hadn't heard the last of that one. What he didn't understand was why her temper was flaring at him so much. He mostly tried to stay out of her way recently, choosing to take on jobs himself and letting her do whatever it is she does. He'd never really asked, because she spent a lot of time locked in her room. Loud noises could always be heard late into the night and then she would appear suddenly chipper, usually with some new weapon she'd made. When she miscalculated an addition to Kalina Anne though, she snapped even when he tried to talk to her. He was beginning to think she was either bi-polar, or possessed by the devil.

"DANTE!" Lady repeated, and he could hear her approaching his door. Dante squared his shoulders and pressed himself behind it. However, the door suddenly flew inwards, coming directly for his face to squish him between it and the wall. Dante put his arms out and it flew back at Lady.

"Shit!" He said, trying to catch it before it hit her. Instead he saw Lady's clenched fingers holding the door in place. _Good reflexes..._ For a moment all he could see was her fingers, nails digging into the door. He shuffled to the side and saw her nose to nose with it, a look of wild horror and shock on her face.

"Whew, I thought it hit you." He said relieved. He regretted it quickly though, because it seemed to bring her back to reality, and she glared daggers at him. She slammed the door shut and almost splintered the wood.

"I'm going to KILL YOU!" She yelled. Dante backed up, holding his hands out in a placating way. He bumped into his desk and found himself sitting on it as Lady brought a knife down, stabbing it in the wood, inches from his inner thigh. He felt he might faint. "What's your excuse this time?"

Dante lifted a leg over the knife and took a swipe at her with his leg. When she ducked down he found himself at a better advantage, at least now standing on his two feet. They both drew their weapons at the same time, standing a few feet apart eyeing one another.

"If this is about your Ramen, I was hungry and…" Dante began.

"It's about my pistol you asshole!" She yelled back. "You took it hunting again, didn't you?"

Dante searched his mind and paled. He had a really bad habit of borrowing weapons from Lady, because frankly he always managed to get his messed up. Ebony and Ivory seemed to be the only guns that could handle the torture he put them through, but they needed the occasional tune up/cleaning. So he would "borrow" some of Lady's for a bit. Trouble is that he'd usually leave them sitting around and forget to clean off the occasional blood, gunk, or nastiness he found his weapons accumulated. If Lady loved anything, it was her weaponry. Like some guys love cars, she just adored her guns, knives, and the occasional sword.

He had meant to clean her pistol after he used it, but he had put it off till the last second. She must've found it, caked with a black substance that smelled of sulfur, blood, and what Dante thought was urine.

"Look, I was going to clean it! We've just been busy!" He didn't like it when she pointed guns at him, especially because she knew it wouldn't kill him. It was like punching him in a way, just a LOT more painful.

"Uh huh…" She said doubtfully. "So instead you decided to let it soak in whatever the HELL is covering it to give it a glossy finish?" She shot at him and Dante rolled in time to miss it.

"Knock it off, I'm sorry, OK?" He moved forward, side stepping her bullets, and grabbed her wrist. He pulled it backwards and she let out a groan of pain. "Drop it and we'll talk." He said.

"Fuck you!" She hissed. He didn't let up on her wrist though, and even if Lady was a strong huntress he was still stronger than she was. Lady dropped the gun after a moment of struggling and Dante kicked it at a safe distance before letting her go.

"We good now?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Lady glared up at him, holding her wrist tenderly. He put a hand out to help her but she swatted him away and rose to her full height. "Look, we've been bickering all week long. Isn't it time we called a truce?" Lady gave a half hearted laugh.

"It wouldn't have had to have been this way if you would just leave my stuff alone. Hell, I'd probably like you more if you did."

"C'mon, you KNOW you love me!" He grinned, putting his arms out as if to hug her. She swatted them away and leaned against the wall, arms crossed in a posture of finality. She looked at him in a thoughtful way, as if suddenly getting an idea.

"Yeah, whatever. Just leave my stuff alone. Wouldn't want to make Trish a widow before she was even a bride." She waved at him dismissively. "Besides, you OWE me now, don't you?" Dante frowned at these words, because her face suddenly brightened in a way that made him regret ever taking her gun. He could refuse of course, but what she had planned for his refusal could be worse than what he'd have to do to placate her. Dante sighed.

"What will it be then? The rack, hot irons, or impalement?"

"Not now, I'll get back to you on that." She grinned with such girlish glee he was suddenly reminded of the lead chick from the movie "Audition" and he cringed. At this thought he partially jumped at the sound of the phone ringing behind him. He watched as Lady left the room, a new bounce in her step as she left. He rounded the desk, sat in his chair and let it ring for a moment. He was hoping it was Trish checking in.

She had called him once a day to let him know how things were going. He hadn't asked her to, but had secretly thanked her in his mind for doing it. It helped put his mind at ease, and so far she hadn't met with any trouble. She didn't find much in her search of the ruins, nothing that could help her with her troubled thoughts anyway.

Dante let the phone ring once more before picking it up.

"Devil May Cry, Lady's personal pincushion speaking." He said dryly, hoping for a little sympathy from Trish. Instead a loud snort of laughter came from the other end.

"You probably deserved it." The voice said jovially.

"I swear, your calls always foretell trouble Amy." Dante barked at her. "I should've known you would call. Just couldn't be a bad day without it."

"Don't go blaming me. Besides, I'm not looking for you. Can I talk to Trish?" She asked in a tone of sweetness. Somehow Trish and Amy had managed to make an odd connection in the short time Trish had been with him. It had all happened when Dante had stepped away from a phone call with her only to find upon returning that Trish had picked up the line and wouldn't give it back. The two had gone back and fourth selling him out by trading stories, Amy's being the most devastating and embarrassing.

On the other hand it had been good for Trish to find a friend outside of his and Lady's company. Someone not connected to hunting. Amy had grown oddly optimistic since they had last met face to face, and it rubbed off like a virus every time she called. He just wasn't in the mood for it right now.

"Guess she didn't tell you. She's going to be gone for a bit."

"She finally went back then, eh?" Amy inquired, but Dante narrowed his eyes.

"So she told you then, did she?" Of course she'd told her. They talked about everything, even if it was a bunch of boring nonsense.

"She mentioned it, but never said if she was going to do it." She replied thoughtfully, as if she could read Dante over the phone. "Said she wanted to talk with you about it first." _Oh, you're good. _Dante thought. Amy's response had the desired effect of calming his inner thoughts. "Do you know how long she'll be gone for?"

"Until she's satisfied I suppose. I'm sure she'll call you first thing." Dante looked at his desk, the picture of his mother turned towards him on the right side, and a new picture of Trish, Lady, and him on the other. It was taken shortly after Trish arrived, and she had been so different then from the woman he knew now. She knew nothing of being with anyone, and so she had been slightly aloof, even with Lady.

Despite going out with a bang as they left Mallet, Trish was quiet the entire way back. She would later attribute this to nerves on her part, but Dante felt that a wall was definitely there in the beginning. He was so use to jumping forward, and yet with her he had come to a standstill. She blushed easily at his advances, was easily flustered to the point he couldn't help but laugh at her innocence. In terms of his past, he had "courted" her. He had waited for her with a patience he had marveled at, and found that when she came to him willingly it had been well worth it. He knew then that he would not separate from her, and maybe some day he might…

"You still there?" Amy's voice broke his thoughts. He had been staring at the image with fuzzy, glazed over eyes. The three figures blurring together in the photo.

"Sure, why not." He mumbled, blinking his eyes and sitting up. "Anyway, I should go."

"Trying to get rid of me, eh?" She replied in tone of fake sadness. "I see how it is; you have Lady to fight with now. You don't need me anymore."

"Trust me; I'd rather be beaten up by you than her any day."

"You mean it?" Her voice was high, childlike and it made him smirk.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. Quit bothering me, I have work to do." He heard a small breathy tone come from the other end.

"I'm sure you are... I'll let Lady get back to beating you up then. Seeya." And without so much as a pause she hung up the phone. Dante considered this for a moment and then hung up. He was disappointed; he had hoped it was Trish calling. At this thought though the phone rang again.

"I told you to quit bothering…"

"Dante" Trish's voice cut in. Dante felt a nudge in his abdomen at the sound of her voice. "It's me, Trish."

"Is everything OK?" He asked, not liking her tone.

"I don't know Dante. It's just…" She sighed, and there was a tremble in her voice.

"Take it slow, where are you Trish? Are you in danger?" He asked seriously, sitting straight in his chair. She softly chuckled.

"I'm fine Dante, but I found something and I don't know what I should do."

"Tell me where you are, I'll come."

"I'm outside Dante." There was a long pause, and Dante tried to grasp this. "But I'm not alone, and I need your help." _Not alone?! What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

"What's going on? Just spit it out!" Dante said, a little harsher than he meant to. There was another pause, her breath coming in nervous waves.

"I didn't know what to do, so I brought him with me." She said after a moment, reluctant to get to the point he wanted to hear. "I found him Dante, I found Vergil."

She didn't know why she had brought him along, but Trish regretted it as soon as Dante went quiet on the other line. He rarely talked about Vergil, if at all, but she had seen enough to know that Vergil's "death" had affected him deeply. Of course Dante would never say it, as if doing so made his death real, and he wasn't willing to go there yet. Trish had watched Dante when she herself was roused by nightmares, and had heard Vergil's name called more than once.

This had all been a bad idea. If only Amparo had never found him...

The trip back to Mallet, her reason for going had all been a lie. She felt her stomach churn. How could she have betrayed him again? It had been for him she left though. He had saved her from her own personal hell, from death itself. All she had ever given him was her betrayal. She wanted to do something for him, to prove that she was more than just Mundus' pawn. She may have started out that way, but through his close affection she had finally found peace.

The nightmares she had were for the similar reasons he slept restlessly.

Before Dante, before her first mission, when it was just her in that dim old castle Trish had met an old woman named Amparo. She lived on an island close to Mallet, and would come to the shores to pick odd roots and plants for her medicines. Their first meeting had almost been fatal, as Trish had caught the woman trespassing. She was about to kill the old woman when she said the oddest of things.

"While you're standing up there, will you pick me that flower?" The woman asked, large, dark eyes looking up at her. The stranger thing was when Trish began to bend over to pick said flower. She stopped partway though, giving the woman a cold stare.

"You are not welcome here." She said in a low tone.

"I came in with the tide, and you can't stop the tide from coming in now can you?" The old woman continued as she bent to pull at a root. "Damn water, drowns some of them out." She continued to mull around on the shore, not paying Trish any mind and talking to herself.

"Seashells... Need more seashells..." She grumbled.

Trish had found her funny, especially when she yelled at a small crab for attempting to clasp a claw on a root she was going after. "OH NO YOU DON'T!" She yelled, bringing a cane down right quick to smash the little bugger. "Crab on the menu tonight." She said happily, tossing the lifeless thing into her pouch.

Trish, who was normally bored to tears when Mundus was away, sat down and watched the strange old woman. She hunched over in a painful manner, every breath taken in was more of a wheeze. Her graying hair tumbled in limp wisps from under her dark bandana, and she had a partially toothy smile. Her eyes though were mischievous and childlike as she swept them over the ground.

Trish had allowed her to leave the island without incident, and found the woman came back at least 2 times a month for more "supplies". Despite her ultimate mission, Trish appreciated the old woman's company.

When Dante and Trish had left the island it was Amparo who took them in. She gave Dante a sideways glance, eyeing him up and down as if she were only 15, and adding thumbs up for emphasis. Trish had almost choked on her water, and Dante was in a hurry to get away from the overly "affectionate" woman. It didn't help she enjoyed pinching his butt.

It was Amparo who had called Trish and told her that Vergil had washed ashore. Trish was sure she had heard her wrong. Her old mind had still been set in place after all, and Mundus would never have let Vergil go. _But Mundus is dead now, and has no hold over anyone anymore._

She could've told Dante, but she knew how sensitive the subject was to him. What if it wasn't really Vergil? She couldn't let Dante's hopes get raised so high to be let down because the old woman saw another guy who's bum she undoubtedly enjoyed pinching. She had to be sure before Dante knew about it.

This was what kept her up at night, her subconscious weighing the pros and cons of what exactly she should do. In the end she had made up her mind to go back and see if the old woman was right, and she had been.

Vergil lay in the backseat of the car, having not woken up at all since he was washed ashore. He looked like a sleeping Dante, except a much worse for ware Dante. Even his perfectly gelled hair hung down over his head like Dante's had in his younger days.

Amparo had taken care of him for some time before calling Trish. She said that when Vergil awoke he would no doubt need lots of help in his full recovery. She didn't know why, but she had actually volunteered to bring Vergil home instead of calling Dante and having him come to them. She had been sitting there for almost an hour before she finally got up the nerve to call Dante.

It was amazing how something can seem like such a good idea at the time, but the long drive home had given her time to doubt herself.

"Dante?" She asked breaking the humming silence coming through the phone. She heard him take a breath.

"I'm here." He answered in a tired voice. "You're outside?"

"Mhhmm" The line went dead and she felt very hollow suddenly. She closed her phone, got out of the car, and began taking the steps to pull Vergil from the back seat. She heard the front door open, but she didn't turn around till she had an arm up under Vergil. When she did turn the look on Dante's face was unreadable in the dim light. She steeled her back with a deep breath and walked to stand at the bottom step.

Dante's face came in to view the closer she got. He looked almost mesmerized, glued to the spot and holding his breath. She searched his eyes for any signs that he had even seen her. His eyes were fixated though on Vergil.

"Welcome home." He said softly. Whether it was meant for her or Vergil was anyone's guess.

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He stared at them both as Trish came walking up the steps, her small frame supporting his brothers. Dante stood in the doorway, his face still, eyes wide as he watched the white hair bob with each step. Trish looked like she was having a tough time carrying him, but Dante found his feet were too rooted to the spot to help her. Was this real? Was it really Vergil? He couldn't move until he knew for sure, until he looked into this man's eyes and saw himself looking back. It terrified him, the idea it wasn't and also that it was Vergil. He could feel his pulse at his neck; hear it thumping away inside his head as the two drew closer.

She came to stand on the equal step to him and Dante bent low to look into the sleeping face of his brother. It was like a ghost of cold air passed through him as his lungs tightened and then released.

"Here." He had said the words, had heard them at least, but all he realized he was doing was holding his arms out to take the burden of Vergil off of her. Almost slowly, Trish deposited the tall figure to lean up against Dante. Vergil's head drifted backwards to lay against Dante's shoulder and he felt his face reddening. His weight was real; it verified that this was not a nightmare. Dante cradled an arm around Vergil's waist, passing his arm over his shoulders to support him. God, he felt like nothing. He could tell that Vergil had lost a considerable amount of weight just by holding him. He didn't know what to do with him now though. He should've taken him somewhere to set him down, but Dante found he could not let him go just yet. He turned towards him and wrapped both arms around him, holding him up not by the shoulder but a full hug. It was the first time he had been able to do it since they were children. He felt his eyes prick slightly as he buried his face in Vergil's shoulder, realizing for the first time in years how much he had missed him.

Trish stood by the door looking uncomfortable and nervous. Dante watched her over his brother's shoulder until he was finally able to capture her attention. She looked as if he might yell at her, as if bringing Vergil back with her was wrong.

"Thank you." He whispered to her. He watched as her inner turmoil broke into a small relieved sob. She let out a groan before coming over and wrapping her arms about the only side of him that wasn't currently attached to Vergil.

"Well…" A voice said from the stairway. Lady was standing partway down with her eyes locked on them questioningly. After all she was looking at one nervous wreck that was Trish, one uncharacteristically emotional Dante, and one totally oblivious Vergil unknowingly caught in a lopsided group hug. "This is going to be an interesting night."


	2. Awakening

**And we're back! As some of you know my laptop broke again, but what some may not have known was they replaced it with a new one. So Chapter 2 was lost with my old laptop. :P I lost quite a bit of this chapter and some other scenes I had planned out ahead of time for later chapters. So I had to rewrite this entire thing, which turned out to be not so bad. I completely redid the beginning (had something different in my other draft) and I'm pretty happy with it.**

**I'm also mentioning a new character, one of my own creation. I wanted to try writing a guy OC because I had an idea later down the road that I will require someone new for. His name is a source of humor for Lady, so if you aren't familiar with the myth behind it I'll leave a small authors note at the bottom...lol I have trouble picking out names, because I want them to mean something or capture a trait I'm trying to portray. BTW, I chose Amparo for the old woman because it said the meaning was "protection, shelter" which fits with her healing abilities, and the fact she took care of Vergil for so long. Also, they didn't have a name for "she who pinches cute butts"...lmao**

**I'm unsure of when my next update will be, but it shouldn't be as long as the last one took to get up! So I hope you enjoy this, and as always comments are welcome. :)**

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**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 2**

Lady was looking down at them all so contently that Dante couldn't help but smirk up at her.

"If you want to join in, you only have to ask. There's plenty of me to go around," he said trying his best to unwind an arm for her. She narrowed her eyes at him and placed a hand on her hip. "Especially now," he added as he looked down towards Vergil.

"No thank you, I get more than I want of you on a daily basis." Lady replied with a wink.

"Think you could at least help us up the stairs then?"

Lady sighed and moved down the stairs to stand before the three of them. She stole a glance at Vergil before turning to look at Dante.

"You do realize this could be a bad thing right?"

"Won't know till he wakes up, so until then," he replied with a shrug. Lady looked towards Trish who was resolutely not meeting anyone's eyes. She moved forward and the three of them hoisted the fourth up the stairway to an empty space normally reserved as a guest room.

Dante didn't really know what to do with Vergil now that he was in the house. He also wasn't too anxious to leave him just yet. Vergil looked dead to the world, and Dante was not a medical expert. He turned to Trish.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" He asked after they'd deposited him on the bed. Trish almost jumped at the sound of his voice, but quickly recaptured her composure.

"Uh, exhaustion mostly. Amparo says he's been through quite a bit physically, but only Vergil would know what exactly. When she first found him he was a wreck," she replied.

"I imagine we're not going to find out much until he wakes up," Lady said thoughtfully. "So we can't really do much for him other than wait… How boring," she yawned as she finished. "I think I'll go raid the fridge."

"I think I'll join you," Trish said quickly as she hurried past Dante. _Not getting away that easily._ He thought as he caught her by the arm and pulled her back to him. His eyes were obscured by his hair as he pressed a kiss on her lips that she felt all the way to her toes. Lady rolled her eyes and looked away as the two embraced and made mock gagging motions. Dante lifted a hand to snap his fingers in her direction, followed by pointing one at her in warning. Lady smiled and walked quietly out of the room.

Dante broke from Trish long enough to lift her to where her feet no longer touched the ground and buried his face in the hollow of her throat. She couldn't help but let out a laugh and hit him.

"That tickles!" She yelped at him as he squeezed his arms tighter around her. She felt him laugh against her skin.

"I missed you," he mumbled into her throat. Trish just played with his hair and stared down at him, the ball of nervousness getting smaller every time he nuzzled against her.

"Well, if this is how you act perhaps I should go away more often?" She asked. He squeezed her tighter. "OK!! OK!!! Stop, I'm running out of breath!"

"I could do CPR...," he responded as he finally looked up at her, his chin resting on her chest. She put her hands on his face and looked at him seriously.

"Then…you're not mad?"

Dante lowered her to the floor.

"I'll let you know when he wakes up."

"Dante!" Trish said desperately, slugging him hard on the arm.

"Kidding, kidding," he said apologetically as he curled an arm around her neck. "I'm not mad Trish, but I wish you would've just told me about this. Sometimes I swear you don't trust me."

"I do! I just wanted to make sure it was him on my own. I didn't want to get your hopes up."

"I'm a big boy Trish. We promised no more secrets," he said pointedly.

"I know, but I didn't want you to get mad, or hurt. My heart was in the right place,"

"Then perhaps I'll only punish you a little bit later on," he said with a thoughtful look to the ceiling. He turned only his eyes to look down at her before continuing. "Cut me a little slack here Trish. I mean you did almost kill me once, so I think you've seen how forgiving I can be."

That was true, he had found a way to forgive her after what she had almost accomplished on Mallet. He had never looked at her suspiciously, and had even let her go on the trip with complete faith. She felt her stomach clench. She should've told him, but she was glad things had happened this way. It had been on her mind for so long just how he felt about her betrayal, and she never seemed to be able to bring it up to him without feeling shame. Shame… another new emotion only he could make her feel. The more she'd learned to suffer for his feelings showed how much she had really come to love him. It made her truly alive to begin with.

Lost in her own thoughts he squeezed her gently to bring her back to where they currently were. "If you want to say something, don't hold it back. You have no one to fear anymore. I may not always be prince charming, but even my anger is proof that I give a damn one way or another."

She leaned in close and touched her forehead to his with a lazy sigh of relief. She was being stupid, and he was enjoying teasing her far too much. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't have let him get away with it. She looked at him closely when she could make out his eyes below the white curtain of his hair. He hadn't pushed it out of his face like he normally did. He let it lay flat, looking more like the pictures of him in his youth. She smiled up at him.

"You…" she whispered quietly.

"I what?" He responded with a small grin. He turned his face downwards in an expectant kind of way.

"…need a haircut," she continued.

With that she ruffled his hair in retaliation to the wolfish grin that threatened to peak through. He let her do it with a disappointed look on his face.

"We'll talk about that later. Hell, we have a LOT to talk about later, don't we?" He half growled as he ushered her towards the door and swatted her on backside through the doorway. She only smiled at him as she turned to look at him.

"I'll be down raiding the fridge if you need me." Trish smirked at him. Her natural perk coming back to her eyes as she looked at him.

"I'm gonna hang up here for a bit."

"Pizza?"

"Love ya," he replied with a tired smile. He watched her turn, her long hair swaying as she walked down the steps until he couldn't see her from the doorway anymore. He closed the door behind him and focused his attention on his sleeping brother. A scowl had found its way onto his face, having now gotten over the initial shock of seeing Vergil again. Now all he could think about was their last meeting before Mallet, as well as their many fights when he new him as Nelo. Here he was though, with no sword and practically helpless.

Vergil, helpless? That didn't bode well when he thought of it, and added a few more stress lines to his face. He sat down on the bed where Vergil lay like a rag doll and kept watch over his twin. The years apart, even though he couldn't admit it aloud, had been detrimental to him. One would think Dante was use to being without him, but there is a huge difference between not seeing someone and not being able to. When Vergil was "alive" he still had the thrill of battle and the sense of normalcy he had when they played as children. Sword fights out in front of their small cottage while their mom looked on from the window. Swords made of wood rather than steel, and no real intention of hurt instead of apparent animosity.

One time when they were boys Vergil had unintentionally hurt Dante, and the two hadn't talked for an entire hour. Dante smirked at this. To outsiders it wasn't much, but to boys who spent 24/7 together it was a lifetime apart. Dante had cried over the small splinter in his mother's lap while Vergil sat miserably outside. Dante wanted him to apologize, but Vergil didn't believe he'd done anything wrong. It was childish banter, but at the time it had seemed so important.

"Vergil," their mother had said when he'd finally come in. Her voice always knew how to warm, even when you didn't feel like feeling it. Dante had never seen another person affect Vergil in this way. Even as a child a bit of coldness was apparent in him, but the minute she said his name that way he seemed to forget everything. "Come here sweetheart."

Dante remained curled in her lap, glaring at Vergil as he threatened to steal her attention from him. Vergil came over slowly, head bent so he wouldn't have to look at her. Dante knew why of course. It was easier to stay mad if you didn't have to look at her. She knew how to make them smile and laugh even when they wanted to sulk. She also knew how to make her boys best friends when they wanted to fight.

She let out an arm from around Dante while cradling him in the other. Vergil crawled up beside her on the couch and just looked away.

"Now what is this?" She asked in her laughing voice as she turned his face to hers. Vergil pursed his lips, trying so hard not to smile back at her. In turn his effort only made Dante smile.

"He's gonna smile!" He had yelled, pointing his injured finger at his brother. Vergil took hold and squeezed it as he glowered at him.

"OW!" Dante yelped, eyes welling up as he wrenched his finger away.

"Vergil!" Eva gasped as he looked up at her. They never feared her anger, but her disappointment and sadness. Vergil curled up in the crook of her arm and stared ahead. She leaned her chin against his head and pulled Dante closer.

"I'm sorry." Vergil said softly, curling a finger around a lock of her hair. She laughed softly.

"I think you owe that to Dante," she murmured. Vergil had turned quiet as Dante tried to push his own tears back. Truth be told it was Dante who couldn't keep his emotions in check. He would cry if hurt, and at times when it suited him to get attention from his mother. Even thinking about it now it was embarrassing, but it was easy with Vergil there to always protect him.

"I'm sorry Dante," he said simply. Vergil had reached a hand out and taken Dante's hand. Gently he kissed the spot where the splinter was like he'd seen Eva do countless times to ease each of them when they got..._boo boo's._

That was who Vergil had always been. His protector from spiders, and those damnable dust bunnies who lived under his bed that would try to kidnap him while he slept. Well, at least that's what Vergil had told him. For all their fights and differences they had a bond no one could've ever touched. Their mom, Vergil, and he were what a family should've been. Until the night they would be separated.

Suddenly no one was there to protect Dante. His cries fell on deaf ears, his pain and wounds to never be healed by his mothers kisses again. Then Vergil returned like a phoenix from the ashes and instead of embracing him as a brother had tried to kill him...

Dante laid down beside Vergil with a sigh. How many years had passed since that fateful meeting? No, he couldn't think of that now. Vergil could wake tomorrow and be every bit as cruel and cold as he'd always been, so Dante wasn't going to waste the time given to him with bitter memories of betrayal. He reached down and pulled the covers up over them, like they had done as kids to muffle Vergil's voice when he use to tell Dante scary stories.

"Take your time in waking up." Dante whispered as a yawn came. He didn't know why, but he couldn't leave Vergil's side yet. It was almost as if he was helplessly trying to reconnect a bond that had been severed for too long. He just needed to make that connection again, even if it was fruitless later on. He hoped Trish would understand when he didn't come down, or join her when she fell asleep.

Tonight he wanted to be by his brother's side.

----------

A full week passed with no real signs that Vergil was intending to wake up. On occasion Dante would see his eyes flutter, or a limb twitch, but for the most part he was out cold. Normally he might worry, but Vergil had the benefit of non-human strength and an ability to go without food that Dante had never understood. He even tried putting pizza close to Vergil, but he still didn't wake. He had been sure that would work...

Trish had insisted on helping in any way she could. She kept in contact with Amparo, who seemed to know quite a bit in terms of herbal medicines. Dante wasn't sure if some of the instructions given weren't complete lunacy to give the old woman a kick now that she didn't have Vergil for company.

Trish and he had been taking turns keeping an eye on Vergil. It was important that he not be left alone if only for the unease of what his waking might bring. He had fought with Trish about her being left alone with Vergil, but she had just as stubbornly fought back that she could not only handle herself but Dante falling asleep in the midst of a battle with Vergil would be even less useful. _Touché..._

So he kept watch at night, Trish during the day, and Lady kept up with the odd jobs that came in. She acted aggravated, but Dante couldn't help but think she enjoyed the overtime. Especially when he called in a good friend of his to assist her...

"You want me to work with him AGAIN?" Lady asked with a roll of her eyes. "Not after the last time."

"I won't let you go this one alone. You'd be outnumbered and I know I can trust Narc to take care of you," he replied as he ran a tired hand over his face. Narc, that rat bastard... What had he done now?

"Yeah, I'm sure he would if I didn't try to cut off his hand."

Dante groaned. _Well maybe if you'd just give in already... _Narc had never once tried to hide the fact he liked Lady. Hell, he was no different than Dante would've been in his younger days. Lady was just too proud to give in without a decent fight. She wanted a man to crawl on their knees first and take a good beating before she'd even consider them as a potential... whatever it was Lady kept for male companions.

Problem was Narc was every bit as stubborn as she was. He would not beg on his knees, and so the two flogged flirtatious banter to death when together for longer than three seconds. Dante just wasn't in the mood to listen to Lady lie through her teeth that she loathed the man and wanted nothing to do with him. He just didn't get them. Narc was a pretty boy who delighted in the games of youth, while Lady was much older and didn't give a damn if she got banged up so long as they job got done. Perhaps that was it, they both mutually loved the job, and so they could take pleasure in it together.

Dante however had tired of the job. He wasn't so old, but he had always told himself his true purpose was finding the thing that had killed his mother. He'd found the source and vanquished it. The job now was more of an infrequent pastime. He let Lady take the bulk of the jobs, and since Vergil's return he hadn't been out on any.

"There's no sense in arguing with you. If you do it though I'll tell you a secret," he said with a lazy smile as her eyes suddenly looked interested.

"Depends, what's it about?"

"Narc," he replied. Lady looked at him as if he suddenly were a three course meal.

"I'm listening," she said in a tone of such girlish intrigue he almost called her on it.

"Narc is only a nickname because he doesn't like his real name." Dante let that sink in long enough to irritate her into demanding he continue. "His real name is... Narcissus."

"I KNEW IT!" Lady jumped up with a victorious smile widening across her face. "I'm taking that cocky bastard down!"

"You can't very well do that if you're here, can you?" He added as he leaned back in his chair, stretching. He should've been sleeping by now but had never made it there yet despite some attempts at laying down. He watched Lady with a shake of his head as she no doubt was processing some wicked plan in which she'd use this knowledge against poor Narc._ Poor my ass… Well, better him than me._

He had met Narc while traveling a few years back. He found him in a bar after far too many shots and not a whole lot of common sense to keep him out of trouble. Narc was every bit the cocky youth, with a mouth for fighting and fists to match. Problem was that he was half like Dante was, but had no intention of ever doing anything constructive with it. He was careless with his powers to the point he would fight with humans who stood no chance in winning. If it hadn't been for Dante intervening who knows where the boy would've ended up, and what he might've had on his conscience once the booze wore off. In the end Dante ended up taking the boy in out of pity, and because of what he was.

It was extremely rare to come across his own kind, in fact Narc was only the second one he'd ever met in all his years walking this earth. He'd come to realize just how difficult it was for any human woman to carry full term the child of a devil. So even if it happened more than he knew, little ever came from it.

Narc's story though was not something he wanted to think of now either. It had taken him a long time to understand him, and Lady herself didn't really know the truth yet either. Narc had conveniently forgotten to mention it to her. It might not have changed anything, considering she had come to accept Dante even with his devil's blood, but there was a chance it might have. Especially since she seemed to carry some small feelings for him, even if she didn't want to face up to it yet. That was something he'd leave to Narc though... If he would take his head out of his ass long enough to talk sense with Lady.

"So will you go already?" Dante grumbled as she continued to plot in silence.

"You got yourself a deal. Don't wait up!" She said in a silky tone as she turned and headed out the door. Dante fell back into the chair and closed his eyes. He was tired and impatient. He wanted Vergil to wake up but also didn't. It was frustrating not knowing what kind of a person would be waking up.

He was also not enjoying the hours spent away from Trish. When she was asleep he was on duty and the other way around. It left no time for quality time, and it was beginning to drive him crazy. Between her trip and her arrival he had only captured that one moment alone with her in almost a full month. They'd never gotten the chance to properly talk either on her being so secretive which wasn't helping anything by being put off.

He wanted her to trust him above all else. Most would've said his ability to forgive and forget so easily was naive on his part, but he had seen her battle with what she had done since her arrival. He knew her guilt and felt it was enough to prove where her loyalty was. He just wished he knew how to make her understand it was enough.

_It takes time Dante..._

Dante winced at the thought. Amy had told him that when advising him on Trish's situation. _Amy... _She had called numerous times since Vergil's arrival and he didn't know how to tell her.

"You can't keep her in the dark forever Dante." Trish had said. She was aware something had occured between them, but Amy never talked about Vergil to either of them. The last time she had spoken his name was sometime after he had told her of his passing.

He remembered her reaction to finding out he was dead, the very thought of it now was painful. He had never seen her in such a state before, like the fast unraveling of some tapestry. She had held a candle for him for so long and even his death could not sever the tie. He didn't even know the terms of their original farewell.

He had always told himself though that he would not get her wrapped up in trouble again, and Vergil's return definitely spelled trouble. Perhaps if Vergil were to ask for her once he woke then Dante would tell her the truth. Until he knew what they were dealing with though he had told them all to keep quiet about it when talking to her.

Dante stood up and groaned. He should try getting in a few hours of sleep before his shift began. Also, it wouldn't be wise to be anywhere around when Lady returned, because he bet Narc would have a few choice words for him once Lady had her revenge.

----------

"Where are you going?" Dante asked with wide eyes as he looked at Vergil.

"Away." Vergil responded as he crammed a few clothes into his backpack and attached his wooden sword to it.

"Let me come!" Dante whined pulling on his shirt.

"No, you'd only slow me down."

Dante pushed out his lower lip and his eyes started to water. Vergil rolled his eyes at him and ruffled his hair. Dante knocked his hand away.

"Don't leave me behind!" Dante screamed at him as his face reddened. "You'll make mom cry again, and if you do I'll never forgive you Vergil!"

"She won't miss me," he said bitterly as he turned his back on his twin. "Not when she has you."

"That's a LIE! She'll cry and it'll be all your fault because you're such a...a...JERK!" Dante pushed Vergil and stamped his foot on the floor.

"Get off me." Vergil growled pushing his twin back. "I'm NEVER coming back!"

With that Vergil stormed out of the room and went for the front door. _She won't even miss me, and if she does then it'll serve her right!_

She always loved Dante more. _He's just a stupid crybaby anyway, who needs them. _Once he was out in the fresh air he just began walking across the fields and into the woods that surrounded their home. He knew this land like the back of his hand, so there was no hesitation in his step as he left. He would go and find his father, wherever it was it didn't matter. He bet that his father wouldn't treat Vergil like the way she did.

She was always so lovely, and yet he just knew that Dante was her favorite. He always got the extra hugs, kisses, and attention. He hated sharing her with Dante, because Dante knew how to keep her all to himself. Vergil wouldn't resort to baby things like crying to get her attention. _I am NOT a baby. _He wondered what his father would be like.

_Handsome, and brave. Very gentle, and his laughter is unlike anything heard in heaven or on earth. Most importantly, he loves us very much._

He loved to hear her talk about his dad. She saved her warmest voice when she talked about him and it was one of the things that told him his father was a great man. The kind of man Vergil would grow up to be someday. He though would never leave his kids when he went away. He would take them along, let them eat all the ice cream they wanted and even stay up past bedtime telling them stories of all his adventures. Maybe his dad could tell him some when he finally found him?

Vergil walked the countryside drinking from cool rivers and picking wild berries when he felt hungry. As time dragged on though the sky was beginning to darken, and soon it was raining. He cowered in a small cave he knew was nearby. As the rain started to fall harder Vergil found he hadn't thought his plan through quite as clearly as he first thought. The darkness was cold, and he had very little in way of warm clothes. As lightning shattered the sky he jumped and covered his face.

_Thunder and lightning are a lot scarier outside._

Vergil huddled against the sudden sweep of wind that blew through the cold, damp cave.

----------

Dante didn't know how long he had been asleep for when Trish was shaking him awake. He had somehow been dreaming about Vergil, but he couldn't remember exactly what the dream was.

"Dante!" Trish urged as she tugged on his arm.

"What is it?" He asked groggily.

"Vergil," she said in a hesitant voice. Dante's eyes widened and he actually fell out of bed in his attempt to get up quickly.

"Shit," he groaned as he hit his head on the hardwood floor. "How long has he been up?"

"Only a few minutes, and he doesn't look happy," she replied biting her lip nervously as she helped Dante to his feet. "He thought I was..." But she didn't continue. She didn't have to because he already knew the answer. Dante steeled his nerve and left the room with Trish following close by. The door was already open and as Dante looked inside he could see his brother's lashes going back and forth as he stared up at the ceiling. He looked like hell itself the way he tried to kill a fly above him with his glare. It was chilling to see. Then again Vergil had never been a morning person. Except, it wasn't morning at all...

Dante took a deep breath and entered the room.

* * *

**A/N: As promised:**

**Narcissus**** - **Latinized form of Greek _(Narkissos)_, derived from _(narke)_ meaning "sleep, numbness". Narkissos was a beautiful youth in Greek mythology who stared at his own reflection for so long that he eventually died and was turned into the narcissus flower.** - **_**taken from Behind the Name.**_

**I had planned on using this a bit in developing his character once you finally meet him. Which should be in Chapter 3! Should be up soon as I've already begun writing it! **

**Also, the dream sequence here is not finished, but will be continued in later chapters. In case you're wondering why it stopped there! lol**

**Till next chapter!**


	3. Bleed It Out

**Two nights in a row. Consider this absolution for being away for so long! Not to mention I have a ton of scenes for this story written (including the end! lmao) over the last couple of weeks, so keeping up with updates isn't that hard. It all comes down to stringing them all together.**

**A few things. Firstly I'm introducing you to Narc is this chapter, so please give me your opinion on him. Amy was the only OC I've ever done so I'd like some feedback on him if possible.**

**Also, there is a "love scene" in this chapter, but it's so small you might miss it if you blink. What can I say other than I didn't feel right about going into detail for this one. Considering the characters, and the event that surrounds it I wanted something short and sweet, feeling anything more would be...wrong. lmao**

**R&R and enjoy!**

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Bleed It Out 

**Chapter 3**

Lady wheeled around and ducked in time to miss getting impaled by the elongated arm of the demon she was facing. She swept her leg forward and knocked the thing off its feet only for it to capture its balance and growl at her angrily.

"Filthy creature," she hissed as she stepped back, barraging it with bullets left and right. It dodged them easily and made its way to her. She had made the mistake of misjudging her surroundings, and so it had her cornered. She backhanded it with her now empty gun and went to reach for a grenade. It grabbed a hold of her wrist and the two struggled for control over her limbs. The thing grinned evilly at her, giving off the smell of burnt flesh that almost suffocated her. She managed to take control of herself long enough to pull the pin and shove it into the things filthy face. Now all she needed was an opening as it fumbled to remove the device.

Instead she saw a figure fall in between them. The arms snatched her up as they were suddenly launched upwards. The creature screamed out as Lady flew out of reach and she covered her eyes as the thing exploded into tiny pieces. It took her a moment to settle and she was extremely annoyed. She narrowed her eyes and looked down to see a rough hand cupping her butt.

"NARC!" She yelled as she moved to strike him. Narc only laughed in that annoying way as he caught her hand in time.

"Now now Lady. I didn't come all the way up here just to fall. If you knocked me unconscious now then you'd be a pretty stain on the floor," he continued with a large smile as he looked down at her.

"Where have you been?! You left me alone with that creature!"

"Too much for you too handle then?" He crooned at her.

"No, I was hoping for the pleasure of killing you both together!" She snapped as she slapped his hand away from her backside. He moved it to her waist and at least it made it easier to think clearly.

"I could think of a hundred ways I'd like you to kill me, but somehow I never imagined a demon being involved. Perhaps some candle light, music, and something a little more frilly and revealing." He grinned as he dusted the collar of her shirt. She glared at him. "You're more of a pizza and six pack girl I see... Perhaps firelight and shrapnel rather than candlelight?"

"Answer my question Narc, where were you?" She repeated.

"I was here, fighting a demon on the catwalk. Yeah on the catwalk, yeah the catwalk. Yes I shake my little tush on the cat walk," he sang with a smile on his face. "Cause I'm too sexy for my..."

"Stop! My ears will bleed," she groaned as she slumped her head forward onto him. "I really hate you sometimes."

He leaned down to look at her and smiled that annoying smile. The one that seemed to make her feel... like everything was good in the world. _God damnit._

Narc was... Well, that is he was... He was strange. He didn't brood, or ever have a negative thing to say. It was _annoying._ He was too young to understand how the world worked. He was in his early twenties, and she was ripe in her mid thirties. The whole situation with him was just... _Ahhhh, annoying!_

His features were so fine, complimented by his sleek black hair and pale gray eyes. _Wolf's eyes. _That was how she always thought of them. Hell she shouldn't have been thinking of them at ALL, but Narc had always told her he would happily take her and never let her go. His youth was intoxicating in how idealistic it was, and it touched a warm spot deep within her. He made her feel twenty again. She had never had a youth to speak of, and yet he managed to bring it out of her in the quietest of moments. Like now.

"Liar," he whispered to her with that smile. She looked up and glowered at him.

She had known Dante much longer than Narc did, but somehow had never heard about him until after Trish's arrival when Dante wanted to take time off to help her adjust. Lady figured he would find someone to partner with her, but she had never imagined much would come in the way of _partnership._ Narc had asked her out that very night as soon as they were out of earshot of the others. She had been speechless, having never been asked on a proper date. She had declined him though after the initial shock wore off and he had only laughed.

_Rain check then?_

How many rain checks had she given to him since? She didn't date as a rule of her job, especially little punks with no self control. What they had instead was conversation which she found he did pretty well when his mind was focused on _normal_ things. So she distracted him with talk. Despite this she knew nothing of who he was before Dante, or how exactly Dante had "saved his life."

_I owe him my life, and I will do anything to repay him._

He wouldn't tell her no matter how much she'd asked. It had only proved to her he was not serious in his attempts to win her over. Who even considered dating a person who kept so many secrets?

"Don't you call me a liar. Put me down Narc."

"As you wish," he said and dropped her. She let out a yelp as the hold was gone from him and she was falling. At the last possible moment she felt him take her arm and pull her up. He had always been too strong for his own good and she flew upwards easily. When she came face to face with him she felt him take her waist again.

"I'm going to kill you!" She snapped as she hit him hard on the chest. He winced but chuckled.

"You've said that already. Maybe one of these days you'll mean it," he said as he leaned forward to kiss her. She pulled back pushing on his chest. He always stole kisses from her when she was too flustered to retaliate, but her adrenaline had kicked in.

"Don't you dare... Narcissus!" She said with an evil grin forming. He stopped dead, his eyes flying open and suddenly he was glaring at her.

"Dante...," he growled from deep within him. "I'm gonna..."

"Kill him?" Lady asked teasingly. She would have to thank Dante later for this new ammunition. She'd just call him by his real name whenever he pissed her off or tried to kiss her. Life was good again.

"Don't call me that!" He said warningly.

"Can I call you Narcy?" She asked innocently.

"Shut up!" His softness was quickly turning to immature frustration and Lady delighted in it.

"Not so cocky now, are you Narcy?"

"If you won't shut it, I'll shut it for you." He said forcefully, cold mercury lit in his gray eyes.

"If you drop me again I'll..."

What she would do never gave birth from her lips, because he did as he'd threatened. His lips covered hers, blocking any passage of words. Only a low moan of pleasure or frustration left her as he kissed her deeper, his arms tightening at her waist so they melded together in mid air. The rope holding him swayed them back and forth as Lady tried with little effort to break the kiss. _Arrogant bastard..._

Why couldn't she resist him when he did this... Lady wound her arms around his neck and pressed into his warm kiss, running her fingers through the softness of his hair and wondering if she'd ever be able to escape the way he made her feel.

The two hung together intertwined. A dark mass against the windows that had already shown the last of daylight. In the end she knew she'd pull from him, slug him, and tell him never to try that again. All the while knowing very well she was a liar as he had said. She would tell him he was too young for her, or one of many other excuses she could think of.

The only thing that was holding her back was herself.

----------

Vergil woke with a start, his eyes barely being able to focus. Harsh lamplight met them and he felt like he hadn't opened them in years. _Where am I? _The room didn't look familiar. This was not the last place he remembered being. His vision was blurred as he heard the smallest in take of breath. He blinked a few times and made out a figure in the corner.

"Who's there?!" He hissed. He found his limbs were heavy and hard to move. The figure rose slowly and he could just make out the long blonde hair. He narrowed his eyes to see better.

"Vergil?" The voice asked timidly. "How do you feel?"

"Who _are _you?" He demanded again. He could barely lift his hands to his eyes but when he managed it he rubbed harshly to clear his vision. For a split second he thought his mind was playing tricks on him. _She looks like... _He must've still been dreaming.

"I'm Trish," she replied.

"Liar!" He growled trying to sit up. His body wasn't working though, and it was pissing him off.

"What have you done to me?"

"Nothing!" The woman said defensively.

"You had better hope I don't retain use of my body," he said darkly as he glared daggers at her. That face was mocking him, especially because he had been dreaming all about it. That woman who he once called mother. "Get out!" He yelled as he couldn't stand to look at her another moment. His throat felt dry and made his scream sound pitiful. He cursed.

The figure stood her ground for a moment before disappearing out of the room. Vergil lay back and stared up at the ceiling trying to retrace his steps. _What was the last thing I remember? _He searched his mind for clarity, but it felt crowded and messy. Everything was blurring together, and thought made his head ache the harder he pushed. He looked up and suddenly he remembered something.

Dante, standing at the edge of hell trying to reach out for him. The blood as he had sliced Dante's hand away, because he had finally made it to the end of his path started all those years ago. Dante though would not fade from his mind, and somehow he looked older than when he last saw him. The lights of the gateway began to fade and yet Dante remained. He blinked his eyes to force the vision away, but it lingered and spoke.

"How are you feeling?" Dante asked. Vergil started at the sound of the voice and recoiled as he came to sit by him on the bed.

"What is this?!" He asked as he tried to move further from the vision. "What's going on?"

"It's all right Vergil, you're safe." Dante said as he reached a hand out to calm him. Vergil knocked it away with a flinch. He couldn't tell the difference between reality and his nightmares anymore. Was this a trick? He tried to crawl off the bed only to be caught by Dante at the last minute so he didn't fal off. "Calm down!"

Vergil was stock still as the vision held him from behind. _Is he hugging me? _He turned to look at the vision and felt the warmth of him. It wasn't a vision, because such things didn't _feel_ like anything at all. He was momentarily caught up in the relief of being free. When he turned Dante pulled him into a full hug and Vergil was too traumatized to pull away.

"You're safe now." Dante whispered as he felt relief sink through himself. Perhaps everything would be fine. Vergil was here, and he wasn't trying to pull away. That wasn't true though.

"Let me go!" Vergil said quietly. He suddenly felt Vergil's weak attempts to remove himself from Dante. He was weak and it was painful to feel just how much. Dante finally pulled away and looked at his older brother.

"Who is she Dante?" Vergil asked as the vision of his mother reappeared near the door.

"Trish. Don't you remember her?"

"Trish? But she looks like...," he got out before Dante nodded at him.

"Her name is Trish and there is no relation there. You two have met before haven't you?" He turned to look at Trish who nodded. Both had been working for Mundus, so surely Vergil would've met her. Her nod confirmed as much.

"I have never seen this woman before in my life," Vergil growled as he glared at her.

"But, what about Mundus?"

"MUNDUS?! What about him?" Vergil suddenly asked in a desperate tone. Dante stared at his twin wide eyed.

"You and she use to work with Mundus, don't you remember?"

"Use to...?" Vergil's eyes suddenly darkened.

"I took care of him Vergil. He will never be able to hurt our family again."

He said it with a smile, and Vergil wanted to rip that smile from his face. _HE _had killed Mundus?! This was wrong, so very, very wrong. He sneered at Dante and exploded in a fit of rage.

"YOU DID WHAT?! YOU IDIOT!"

Vergil found the adrenaline to lift up a cup by his desk and threw it across the room, nearly missing Trish. Dante stood and tried to control his brother's flailing temper.

"What have you DONE Dante?! You FOOL! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Vergil yelled as he used every ounce of strength he had to punch his brother square in the jaw. Dante fell onto the floor bewildered.

_What the hell is going on?!_ This was not supposed to be Vergil's reaction to this news. Could it be that Vergil actually... cared that Mundus was dead?! _It couldn't be!_ He had killed their mother and separated the two from one another. HE was to blame for every hardship they had suffered, and yet Vergil looked as if he was in mourning for something, or someone.

"Stop it Vergil!" Dante yelled as he got up and tried to hold his brother down on the bed. He wanted an explanation. How could Vergil have ever been loyal to Mundus?! Vergil only thrashed like a wild animal in his attempts to escape his brother.

"GET OUT!" He screamed in misery. "GO AWAY!"

Dante stood his ground, looking at Vergil perplexed. What had Mundus done to him? Vergil had always been a bit on the evil side, but actually siding with the thing that their father had tried so hard to contain? Didn't he understand that it was over? That he was free of whatever binds had always held him back?

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Dante asked aghast. "What new game is this?"

"Get away from me." Vergil's tone took on a sharpness, like the hiss of a snake about to strike. He reached a hand out to grab hold of Dante, but found that he could barely do much. He felt so weak, as if his body wasn't even his anymore. Dante was quick in comparison to him now. He let out a cry of frustration at his lack of ability. "Just go away." He said in a tone that sounded like anguish, turning away from Dante.

Dante just stood back from the bed and looked at him in disbelief. He wanted to hit him, knock some real sense into his obviously messed up head.

"Traitor." Dante breathed through clenched teeth. Trish came to his side and pulled Dante away. She pulled him from the room just as something shattered against the door as they closed it behind them. They could both hear Vergil's agonized cries coming from the room.

Dante swore to himself, lashing out and embedding his fist into the wall across from him. The pain was minimal in comparison to the storm of emotions broiling just under the surface. This wasn't normal, these feelings he was having. It was unknown territory, because he could always come away from a fight with Vergil with a sense of anticipation for the next. This however, this was different. The bastard had gone beyond the pale with this newest revelation.

_He's not my brother, I don't know who that guy is_.

Perhaps the time for hoping Vergil would ever recover were long gone. There would be no more exhilarating fights of pride and ego, no more well versed banter to at least show him that they were connected. The ties had somehow been severed without warning, and suddenly Dante felt very hollow.

Dante slumped against the wall, his breath coming quick. Trish held onto his mid section, listening to the heave and fall of his chest.

"I don't understand," he said breathily. "W-was Mundus ever kind to you Trish?"

"Never," she said in a bitter tone as she looked up at him. "Oh Dante..."

She had looked up and noticed the tears trickling from his eyes very slowly. He didn't make a sound as they fell. He turned his face away from her as she lifted a hand to his cheek.

"I'm fine," he responded. He leaned his head against the wall and still she saw the wet lines fall down the side of his neck. She had never seen him cry before, but she wanted to do anything to make him stop.

Dante's mind was reeling. He hadn't cried since he was a boy, and it was frustrating him to begin now. This turned out worse than he could've ever imagined. How could Vergil have ever gone to Mundus? How could he give a DAMN about the _thing_ who had destroyed their entire life?! It didn't make ANY sense!

There could be no going back for them. It horrified him to think that Vergil was truly gone from all of them. The long hours of wishing his brother would wake a changed man were dashed in a split second and Dante felt his insides twist. He wished Mundus alive again so he could beat him to a bloody mass for corrupting his brother. His only blood left. Dante beat his head backwards against the wall as a wave of grief stole him.

"Dante!" Trish gasped as she tried to stop him. She pulled him forward to lean on her and he buried his face in her shoulder as he let go of the floodgates. Slowly his weight pushed her down until they were sitting on the floor. She wrapped her arms about him. "Don't believe it Dante, not for one second."

"He's gone Trish," he said weakly.

"I won't have you believe that yet. Mundus was NOT kind, and whatever this is... well, it has to be a misunderstanding," she cupped his face in both of her hands and forced him to look at her. His red, tear stained face made her ache for him. "We will get through this Dante. If you can pull me back from the edge of hell, then you can do anything. Don't give up hope."

She wanted to protect his hopes for as long as he'd let her. His laughter, warmth, and ability to smile in the face of disaster were what she loved about him. She would protect them at all costs no matter the price. He sniffed slightly as his lowered eyes examined her face miserably.

"Stand up Dante," she said softly as she helped him rise from the floor. She would be his strength for once. "Rest, and look at the situation with morning light." She let him lean against her as she walked slowly towards their room.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." Dante said quietly as they reached the door. Trish stopped, turning herself towards him. "Imagine that, I have a weakness other than pizza." He said quietly, giving her a forced laugh to mask his tremulous voice. "I'm so tired of caring."

She reached out and cupped his cheek with a pained expression on her face.

"Don't give up." Trish said, not knowing what else to say at the moment. She was praying for the strength to know what to do. She had never lost anyone, never had to comfort anyone before. This was a part of their relationship that had never needed to be breached before. Despite this she allowed him these frail moments. She urged him towards the door. Once inside she went to help him into bed, but he didn't let go of her and pulled her down with him.

"Dante?" She asked uneasily. This was _hardly _the time for this, and yet as she caught the pained look in his eyes...

The truth was he was feeling hollow, unloved, and unwanted. It was something he hadn't felt in so long, and he wanted to erase it all from his memory. He wanted to feel connected to someone and he could feel that in Trish. He ran his thumb along her lips with a sigh as another tear fell.

"Stay with me tonight," he begged. "Let me lose myself." Dante leaned up and gave her a chaste kiss as his tears drenched her soft features. Trish gave in, not knowing any other way to bring him back from the darkness Vergil had driven him to.

Intertwined in the darkness Dante drowned himself within the arch of her body, and the promise of comfort and love. She gave to him and he took greedily of every inch to black out his own fears that he was, in fact, alone.

"I love you," she whispered as a gasp left her beautiful lips. He wasn't so numb yet as to not feel the proper affect of those words. He closed his eyes and buried his face against her neck. He could forget everything for the time being and revel in her warmth. She made it so easy.

She shuddered beneath him as he called out to the dark room, his own body riddled with sweat and swaying with the tremor that coursed from him to her. He lay on her, completely exhausted and fulfilled.

"Dante," she whispered into his hair. "Don't give up."

He closed his eyes and thought of her words. Vergil was a stubborn asshole, but then again so was he. He didn't care what had happened to Vergil, but he knew he had to at least try to fix this. They weren't kids anymore, and as long as there was hope in its smallest measurement, he would take it.

He rolled over, pulling Trish with him to lay across his chest. Her breathing was heavy, and her weight comforted him. She breathed gently against his skin and he couldn't help but laugh. She was asleep. He hoped he wasn't too rough with her, considering where his mind had been. If he had been she gave no indication. He wrapped her protectively in his arms and whispered an apology into her hair. She only continued to breathe deeply as she nuzzled further into his embrace.

He could do this. He would pull Vergil back from the edge like he hadn't been able to all those years ago. He had to at least try. He wasn't the quitting type. He would've gladly welcomed Vergil back if he had woken with kind words despite everything between him. He was determined now.

He closed his eyes and decided he would begin by putting his plan in place and seeing where it would take him. He had nothing left to lose.

----------

All was quiet on the home front when morning hit. Everyone was sleeping soundly in their beds without much care. Lady smiled vaguely in her dreams, most likely remembering the look on Narc's face when he couldn't pummel Dante after they'd arrived back. Or maybe it was a recollection of the suspended kiss he had given her.

Vergil was exhausted with a scowl very much apparent on his face. He was dreaming again of his mother, and of Dante. Somehow piano music always found a way to steal into his dreams.

Trish lay on her stomach as Dante sat on the side of the bed watching her. Her long golden hair spread about her as if to glorify her in the morning sun spilling through the windows.

Dante was fully dressed. He leaned down and kissed her softly before standing and heading downstairs with purpose.

He cranked up the volume on the old jukebox when he reached it, pressed a button at random, and watched as it began shuffling through the discs. "Give Daddy something good" He cooed to the juke, closing his eyes and listening closely for the opening of the song. "Bleed it Out" by Linkin Park began blaring from it. Dante tapped his foot along. "You know me so well." He said with a contented sigh, running his hand lovingly over the glass.

He turned in a choreographed motion and walked towards the steps in time with the music. Lady poked her head out of her bedroom as he reached the top of the steps. Her hair was messy and her eyes had an angry red color mixed with obvious lack of sleep.

"Damn it Dante! It's not even 8 in the morning!" She growled hopelessly. Dante only mouthed along with the song, doing a little dance in place. Lady glared at him before rolling her eyes and closing her door with a slam. Dante turned on the spot and headed for Vergil's room.

"Good morning sunshine!" Dante said brightly. He allowed the door to slam loudly into the wall before taking his first steps into the dim room. Vergil's glaring face could be seen briefly before he put his pillow over it, in what Dante thought was a weak attempt to suffocate himself. Dante grabbed hold of the blanket that was partially tucked under his brother, and tugged hard. Vergil tumbled out of them to the floor with a dull thud. He turned, his eyes flaring as he looked up at Dante.

"What is this?" He yelled. Dante came to crouch down by Vergil.

"This, my brother, is the first day of the rest of your life." Dante answered, his smile widening.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He snapped, trying to gather the strength to punch Dante to no avail.

"There will be no more brooding the hours away in this room. Today you begin to put your life back on course." Dante stood and pulled back the curtains, allowing bright sunlight to repaint the walls. He heaved his chest outward as he took in a deep breath. Vergil only grumbled something under his breath. "Check the attitude too while you're at it, it's killing my morning buzz."

"Get out." Vergil said, trying to maneuver his way back to the bed. Dante moved to sit on it, blocking Vergil from getting up off the floor. He swung a fist, even knowing it would do no good. Dante caught it and held it firm.

"Listen good Vergil… You have two options and I really don't care which you choose. One…," He said, putting a finger up. "I kick your ass out onto the streets to fend for yourself. Don't think I won't do it either, I've gone this long thinking you'd never darken my doorstep again." The look on his face had lost its chipper flare. Vergil eyed him, most likely aware of what being kicked out would mean for him at this stage in his recovery.

"And the other?" He asked, trying to keep his temper down.

"You come downstairs with me now and we work on getting you well again. Don't care how long it takes, or what you decide to do after. You can leave if that's what you feel like doing when it's said and done."

Vergil continued to stare at him, taking into consideration both offers. His pride would've loved to have walked out by now, but unfortunately his legs didn't remember that he was in charge. The idea of being some immobile thing on the side of the road didn't seem very appealing either. How long would he have to put up with Dante though until he was well enough to go, and could he do it?

"Just like that? You'll let me stay here with you?" He asked.

"There are some conditions of course, seeing as you've tried to kill me several times over the years," he replied thoughtfully, a small smirk playing in his eyes.

"There's always a catch. What are these conditions?"

"I don't want anything except for you to be civil. No trying to kill me, or any of my roommates. You don't have to like the situation, but you're under my roof now and I don't want months of listening to you bitch. I get enough of that from Lady…"

"Poor baby." Vergil said in a mock tone.

"See there? That's exactly what I'm talking about. Consider me the older brother from now on, and I will put the smack down on you if you don't keep in line."

"Fine, just turn down that God awful music. I already have a headache." Vergil growled, trying to push Dante away so he could climb back onto the mattress.

"Condition 2…" Dante began, pushing Vergil to sit back down on the floor. "Vergil has no control over Dante's music."

Vergil glared up at him. His anger had somewhat faded since the night before, but he didn't know yet whether or not this was a good idea. Dante put a hand out to help him from the floor and all he could do is stare at it.

"C'mon Vergil, what have you got to lose?" Dante asked offering it closer to him. He looked from his brother to the hand, and then back again. Eventually with a groan he allowed Dante to help him up.

"Don't misunderstand this Dante," he said pointedly. "This doesn't mean that when I'm all better I won't kill you." His eyes narrowed as Dante laughed at him. "What's so funny?"

"You'll kill me in time, but not now," he replied with a cocky grin. Vergil stared at him. Where had he heard that before? He suddenly hear a woman's voice in his head.

_You'll kill me in time. But not now. _

"Amy..." The name escaped his lips before he could take it back.


	4. Male Bonding

**Happy 2008!**

**Sorry this took so long to get out. I was trying to find out factual information on the effects of short term paralysis and I swear I couldn't find any information that was helpful. :P So I had to wing it a bit, and that really put a hold on things because I hate not having an idea of what I'm writing. So I was blocked for a while.**

**And feel free to stone me for the ending of this chapter...lmao Enjoy!**

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**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 4**

The remains of the day were cold as she closed her front door, waving to a youngster and his mother as they got into their car and pulled away. She looked up into the embers of sundown peaking over the top of the shop across the street. Another day marked off on the calendar.

She was exhausted if truth be told because her dreams kept waking her.

During the day she could work her fingers to the bone if only to keep _him_ from her mind. Thanks to Dante she had been fired from her last job (and the one previous.. _bastard), _but in a lot of ways she was grateful. Him getting her fired coupled with Vergil's parting words had given her the drive to not only begin playing again, but to share her love with other kids in the neighborhood who wanted to learn. It didn't pay much in terms of money, but it brought her comfort and happiness. If she had to work an odd job on the side to make it by then she would.

Amy pulled her arms closed to herself as a slight chill ran through her. Warmth left with the setting sun and she escaped to the confines of her apartment. It was quiet now without the sounds of activity, which was dangerous. He popped into her thoughts again, and the dream she'd been having lately.

Normally she didn't remember her dreams, instead remembering fragments too vague to piece together. Lately though each new one was as vivid as the last and it consumed her every quiet thought. She had thought she'd put him behind her, so why all the sudden did she...sense him?

She took off her coat as she entered her apartment and tossed it onto a chair near the door. Every day she would walk into this place and remember. She smiled slightly as she could almost see Dante sitting on her couch, or leaning against the wall. She could've moved, and yet this place held fast the memories of the two men who had undoubtedly changed her. The piano sat against the far wall, just opposite the door so it was the first thing she'd see as she entered. It would greet her when she opened the door, and it would look so somber when she left. Strange how something so inanimate could be that way. She sat at the piano and pulled her hair down, staring at the black and white keys before her without so much as a sigh.

_What would you do if I came back?_

She closed her eyes and set to playing. It was very easy to tell herself her dreams were just that, because this dream Vergil wasn't the Vergil she remembered. He asked silly questions, he smiled, and even laughed. Nothing was more strange than a laughing Vergil.

_Tell me that you miss me Amy..._

She blushed and bit her lip. _Damn it all, go away! _She hit a wrong key and leaned forward to laugh at herself. _They're just dreams, calm down. You're acting like a teenager! _She had tried so very hard to let him go, because Dante had told her that Vergil had...

_I'm not dead, see? You can feel me can't you?_

The dreams had been odd in the sense that they actually MADE sense. No underlying meanings, or guest appearances by dancing chickens begging for bread that usually plagued her dreams.

No, it had only been her, Vergil, and the music room. It wasn't a teenage Vergil, but an adult Vergil who watched her closely and smiled when she smiled. At first she had thought it was a fluke, but the dreams had persisted and their conversations changed with each new one. He asked the questions and she never remembered her replies. She knew though that they were dreams and he too seemed to know it.

_One day I won't have to meet you here._

"One day Vergil...will never come." Amy sighed as her bottom lip caressed the key beneath her face. Dante's news of Vergil's death had hit her hard, so much so that Dante had acted as if she'd fall over and never get up again. He had stayed with her for a time before she demanded he go home.

"I swear if you don't leave now I'll kill YOU and then Vergil will have someone to look after him," she'd said jokingly when Dante wouldn't take the hint.

"Then who would look after you?" Dante asked with a cocky smirk just hiding the concern in his face.

She hadn't answered, because in reality she didn't want to think of it. Dante had unknowingly become a source of comfort to her no matter how much she tried to deny it. She had spent so long being alone that his constant interruption in her life had spoiled her. She now knew what it was like to have someone to call on, and despite his ability to drive her crazy she wouldn't have wanted him out of her life for anything.

So much had changed since then, with the introduction of Trish and Lady into her life. She had met neither face to face yet, but somehow it never mattered. Lady immediately appealed to her purely for the methods she used to torture Dante. Trish though appealed to her because it was immediately apparent that she cared for the cocky demon hunter, and with that Amy could see eye to eye with Trish. Amy found that when she could reach out and care for someone that it was deep rooted in her mind to protect without thought. Trish too was that way with him so Amy knew right away she could find a friend in her.

_Maybe that's my problem? _She thought bitterly. Maybe she was so deeply rooted to Vergil's memory that she couldn't let him go. So many years had passed and she had turned down a couple guys who had sincerely asked her out. She felt like it would be wrong to go out with them. Deep down though she still wasn't ready to accept his death, and the dreams too also weren't helping.

Worst of all the dreams recently had stopped all together. She had been annoyed with them, but so disappointed when they did not happen she found herself crying one morning for no apparent reason. She had slept very little since they stopped and so she had decided to take a trip. Dante and her had set this up months ago and she was getting anxious as the date to arrive grew closer. It couldn't have been more perfect timing.

Perhaps Dante could shed some light on the dreams. Maybe it all meant that Vergil really wasn't dead? Perhaps it was a sign he was in trouble and needed their help? After all, Dante himself had said he didn't know exactly where Vergil had gone to when he fell. So it could be possible?

Amy stood and walked to her cell phone. She dialed Dante's number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hey, this is Dante. Leave a message and I _might _call you back." Dante's voice said in a mock "professional" tone. She'd been hearing this message far too much lately. It was making her nervous that Dante hadn't been picking up the past couple of weeks.

"Dante, it's me pick up...," she got no reply so she continued. "Hey I'm just checking in to let you know my flight schedule and pick up time. You guys haven't forgotten about me have you?. Well, you know how to reach me so call me back OK? Bye."

Amy took a deep breath as she hung up the phone. Regardless of anything she had made up her mind. In a few days time she would finally meet Trish and Lady, and possibly solve the mystery of her dreams.

_Only a few more days and all my worries will be gone..._

----------

"Get off my back!" Vergil growled as Dante pinned him to the floor.

"Why don't you get me off?" Dante replied with a mock yawn.

The two of them had been working to get Vergil's strength back. Although to Vergil it seemed more like he was doing all the work while Dante took pleasure in tormenting him. Apparently he'd been unconscious for some time, and due to his immobility his muscles had weakened considerably. He had to learn how to walk again which was embarrassing, and he could barely hold an arm up to strike Dante when he pissed him off.

If it hadn't been for his birthright he was pretty sure it would've taken him a lot longer to get well, but even after spending a month with Dante he still found himself weakened. He still had troubles walking, but he didn't require to be carried around anymore. Dante's recent torture was sparing off against one another which was humiliating considering Dante's strength in comparison to his own.

Vergil pushed up against the floor, his arms shaking on either side of him as he ground his teeth together. Dante sat on his back urging him on. Vergil let out a roar of frustration as his arms collapsed painfully beneath him and he found himself once again laying face down on the floor.

"Pathetic." Dante said with a groan as he stood to survey his twin. "Are you sure you're the son of Sparda?"

"Shut it!" Vergil seethed, nose to the floorboards.

Dante crouched down by Vergil and smirked.

"I know you can do it. We'll take a break and try again."

"Fuck off!"

"You'll never get anywhere with that attitude." Dante chuckled as he pulled up on Vergil's arm. Vergil stood quietly, allowed Dante to steady him, before he knocked his hands away and slowly made his way to the wall. He was sweating profusely and every inch of him hurt like hell. _It's for the greater good. _He kept telling himself that. The harder he pushed himself the quicker he could get away from this place.

Dante watched Vergil before tossing him a towel to wipe his face with. It was easy for Dante to smile, because for once he was stronger of the two. His efforts to make Vergil stronger also provided him the opportunity to pry into his twins mind a bit. When Vergil couldn't fight back he tended to talk a bit more to get his point across.

"You'll be dancing in no time." Dante said as he tossed him a bottle of water. "I'll have to call you twinkle toes."

"You call me that and I'll put spiders in your mattress." Vergil replied glowering at Dante.

Dante grinned at him. Of course he wouldn't do that, but it was still nice to hear he cared enough to try.

Vergil had been very tight lipped in the beginning, and still wouldn't talk about the one thing Dante wanted to know about. _Mundus... _His attempts to pry into Vergil's reaction to hearing of his death were met with stone face and zipped lip.

"Put spiders in my mattress and I'll call Amy..." Dante looked at Vergil and watched as he coughed up the water he'd been drinking to glare at him. That was another subject not yet breached. Vergil originally had brought her up out of the blue, but refused to talk about her. He didn't even ask how she was, or where she was. Yet if her name was mentioned he turned bright red and grew very quiet.

"I'm warning you Dante," he growled.

"Warn away, I'm all ears." Dante replied as he leaned against the wall opposite Vergil and crossed his arms. The two stared at one another, another battle to see who would blink first. It was always a battle with them. Since Vergil couldn't battle physically he chose other methods in which to fight with Dante. "Tell me Vergil, what are you warning me about again? How you'll knock me over by blowing on my face, or how you'll glare me to death?"

"I won't always be this way, so you'd do well to remember that when speaking to me."

"Oh, I intend to make sure you get as much motivation as you need to recover quickly. It hasn't been pleasant with you skulking about the place. You're actually pretty creepy."

"I am NOT!" Vergil yelled before stifling his own words. Dante's smile only widened.

"Dante: 1. Vergil: 0." Dante grinned as he moved from the wall. "Ready to try again?"

Vergil flew at him, but Dante grabbed hold of him and tossed him over his shoulder to the floor. Vergil let out a gasp as the wind was knocked out of him.

"You do realize I'm not even trying right?" Dante quipped as he swaggered over to help Vergil up. As he reached his hand out to help him up Vergil pulled hard downward and swept his leg out, knocking Dante's legs out from under him. Both lay side by side on the hard floor. "Touché'." Dante groaned.

He turned to look at Vergil and noted the small smirk of victory on his face. It was the first time since his arrival he had seen a bit of Vergil peaking through. The one who could take pleasure in a good fight.

Vergil turned and noticed the look on Dante's face. The smirk vanished instantly as he sat up and slowly got to his feet. Dante remained sitting on the floor, watching his brother with an amused grin.

"Stop it. I hate it when people stare at me." Vergil barked when Dante wouldn't let up. "I've had enough for today, I'm going back."

"Hey Vergil... Where did that fall take you?" Dante asked.

"To hell, where else?" Vergil replied, wiping his face with the towel he'd picked up.

"What's hell?" He asked. Vergil rolled his eyes and Dante continued his thought. "Well, I mean you HEAR about it, but I've never been there. What's it like?"

"Hell."

"Dude, that is not an acceptable answer. C'mon, it won't kill you to tell me just a little bit about it. You got some other pressing appointment?"

Vergil looked annoyed, but it only proved to improve Dante's mood. After all, if Vergil was dropping the subject he would've walked away already. Yet he stood debating now. If hell was what most people believed then what could possibly torment Vergil? It might give him an insight into the secrets his brother had been keeping from him.

Vergil took his time in mulling over an answer. He looked genuinely tired as he put two fingers to the bridge of his nose and squeezed hard. Dante figured he would never truly know everything there was to know about Vergil, but it wouldn't stop him from prying. Hell, nothing would ever stop him from prying.

"You hear it's different for everyone, so how can I be sure my hell was the same as someone else's?"

"Do you always have to answer a question with another question?" Dante groaned as he stood up.

"Well, I cannot give you a precise answer. You asked what hell was like, and that seems the most adequate of answers."

"What was it like for YOU. There, how's that?"

"Nothingness. Pure and total abandon of everything I have ever known. It is a place of no name, no features, no touch or breath. It's like laying in darkness, so paralyzed that you soon begin to wonder what you are. Are you real? I couldn't see myself, feel or hear anything. You begin to wonder if you aren't just a cloud of a single thought. Without a world to look upon, or others to prove your existence... what are you exactly?"

"Sounds depressing as hell." Dante said as his brows furrowed in thought.

"To you yes, but I couldn't feel emotions there. Some people talk of the pain and torture of hell. Fire, brimstone, but the truth is that an eternity of that is nothing. Pain is just your bodies way of telling you something is wrong. It is a product of living, and so it would've been a welcomed feeling where I was. No, I felt NOTHING. Imagine laying in a dark place by yourself and having your mind wiped clean. The only thing you know is you are there. You don't have the mind to think I'm cold and lonely or even depressed. Just laying wide eyed in darkness for all eternity."

"Damn." Dante breathed.

"Damned would be correct. You wouldn't have lasted five seconds with no one to talk to, and I'm pretty sure you would've gone quite mad."

"But you didn't stay there." Dante added quickly.

"Didn't I?" Vergil turned and looked at Dante with a raised eyebrow.

"Duh, I saw you on Mallet didn't I?"

"Did you?" Vergil asked before turning away.

_What was that? _Dante didn't know why, but he didn't like that answer. After all, Vergil had recognized him hadn't he? When he saw his amulet something of recognition had stopped Vergil from killing him! What else was Vergil hiding?

As Dante went to press further the door opened and in walked Trish. Both men turned to her, and Dante immediately noticed the change in the atmosphere.

"Hey Dante, have you seen Kalina Ann?" She asked as she closed the door.

"What? How do you lose something that big?!"

"You'd have to ask Lady. She's tearing the place apart looking for it, and asked me to make sure you didn't take it," she continued with a Cheshire cat grin. Dante rolled his eyes.

"I may steal her hand guns, but even I know it's a death sentence to even look at Kalina Anne sideways." Dante tucked her hair behind her ear and sighed. "Ok, let me help Vergil upstairs and I'll come help you search."

"I don't need your help." Vergil growled as he walked slowly towards the door and opened it.

Dante looked down at Trish who gave him a hopeless look. She too could no doubt sense the growing apprehension in the air, because it had been happening ever since Vergil returned.

Every time Trish walked anywhere near Vergil he would glare openly at her, as if she had no right to breathe the same air as him. His animosity towards her was not something he hid, and Dante would've been blind if he couldn't understand it. Understand it, sure. Tolerating it, hell no.

"C'mon," he said as he moved towards Vergil and pushed him out of the room. They passed Lady who was actually looking under the couch on hands and knees. Normally Dante would have something to say about this funny scene, but his mind was focused elsewhere. As they took the stairs slowly Trish walked out of the back room and looked up at him. He gave her a wink and pushed Vergil on. Perhaps a little too enthusiastically, because Vergil fell forward onto the top landing.

"DAMNIT DANTE!" He groaned. Dante startled and caught himself before he tripped over Vergil's legs.

"Dude, I'm so sorry. I thought you had that step," he said apologetically.

"Then WHY are you laughing?"

"Cause..." Dante replied without intending to finish. He turned and saw Trish smirking up at him, trying so hard herself not to laugh. After all, it was her who had distracted him into believing Vergil was all right. Dante shrugged his shoulders at her and moved to help Vergil up.

"Get away!"

Dante stood back with his hands up, allowing Vergil to get his bearings on his own. He had stopped paying attention to Vergil as he emoted down to Lady and Trish, Lady having stood up when she heard Vergil fall. The girls stood watching as Vergil caught sight of the two of them. His eyes glared at them coldly as his mouth twisted into an ugly sneer.

"What the HELL are you looking at?" He barked.

"Dude, calm down." Dante sighed as he moved to push Vergil towards his room, but Vergil did not move.

"You think I don't _know _what's going on here?" He asked venomously as he looked at Dante. It seemed Vergil had been withholding his thoughts before this moment, but a months worth of animosity suddenly broke within him. "Your demonic whore..."

"Back off Vergil." Dante said in a warning tone. He looked down and saw the look on Trish's face. She had been so good at ignoring Vergil, but now she looked like she might power up and electrocute him to death.

"Pathetic," he continued before turning and going to his room. Dante glared at his back and followed him. When Vergil tried to close the door Dante pushed it open and allowed himself in.

"I told you Vergil. Civil tongue..."

"I will NOT sit back and act like there isn't something seriously sick about that girl! And YOU..." Vergil hissed.

"Yeah me. There's nothing you can tell me that I haven't mulled over in my head already." Dante closed the door and leaned against it.

"She looks like our mother and you're sleeping with her! It's SICK!"

"Again, something I have already considered and filed away." Dante said in a bored tone.

"It's WRONG Dante. You have to see that?"

Dante only smiled at him smugly.

"Since when did you become my brother? Give a damn about what I do?"

Vergil sneered at him and sat down on the bed.

"I knew you loved our mother, but this... I don't give a damn what you do, but I'm not going to sit by and pretend you're not fucking our mother's clone." Vergil replied bitterly. "She was created specifically for the purpose of playing off your sympathies. This all doesn't seem wrong to you at all?"

"At first, yeah. I admit that I was very off put by her appearance." Dante admitted.

"Then WHY..."

"Because she's not her Vergil," he interrupted. "Not even close. The more time I spend with her the less I see her for her physical attributes. Can she be blamed for the way her face looks? You can't pick and choose when you'll be attracted to someone. You don't need a reason half the time. She's come into her own mind since I brought her here, and the more she does the less she reminds me of our mother. What made it worse was that she actually cares about me."

"Cares? You're a fool. Her kind is incapable. She isn't half like you Dante. She is pure, and don't you even try to deny it."

"I'm not like you Vergil. Nothing is ever black and white to me. I've seen her slowly come into emotions that her _kind _are not supposed to even be able to experience."

"Nothing you can tell me will make it any different. So she's good to you. She's still a demonic clone of our mother, and so she is an abomination. And you are no different by association to this desecration of mother's memory."

Dante stared at his brother for a long while. So, NOW he decides to pull the motherly love card. The same man who spoke of her as if she were as filthy as he perceived Trish to be. It was amazing how hypocritical he could be when it suited his argument. Dante had an argument to continue it, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to bring it up. It involved yet another innocent victim.

"I love her Vergil. Regardless of what she looks like, I believe I always will. I cannot control it, and I will not even try. You can sit back and act righteous, but you can't sit back and tell me you have never felt something so strong you'd throw away your better judgment for it."

Vergil did not answer, only looked to the floor in silence.

"You sit there and judge me, and you are just as self-indulgent. Remember Amy?"

Vergil's head snapped up and he stood to his full height.

"HER? You're talking about her again? Jeez Dante...," he said as a relieved look came over his face.

"What else did you think I was talking about?" Dante asked suddenly piqued. Vergil began to laugh, his cruelty returning with a pinch of arrogance.

"If you want to have a better argument, I wouldn't take that route. You have no grounds to even use her in such a way."

Vergil sat on the bed before leisurely laying back to sit against his pillows. He took on a look of an untroubled man as he looked at Dante with a self-serving smile.

"What the hell are you saying? I know you went to see her that night, why else would you go if you didn't feel something?"

"That is none of your business. Regardless I've had a long time to re-revaluate my situation with her and it is nothing worth even bringing up. She is nothing more than a memory..."

----------

She was going to kill him. She would recruit Lady to help tie him down and torture him to death. Or maybe she would spill the beans on every embarrassing thing she knew about him to Trish. He was supposed to pick her up over 2 hours ago, and he never showed up. He didn't answer his phone either all six times she called him. She would never let him hear the end of it.

Luckily she knew his address, so she grinned as the cab pulled up the building she had only heard about. "Devil May Cry" lit up the sky above her and she only shook her head. She had an odd sensation in her stomach, and perhaps she should've canceled her flight when he didn't respond to all her calls, but it only made her more concerned. Dante wasn't a big phone person, but he always returned a call if she missed him and left a message.

The fact that Trish too hadn't called, especially so close to her visit set off red flags. Them not coming to get her was the icing on the cake. If Dante were laying around the office, she was going to kill him for worrying her so much.

After she got her bags from the car and walked up the steps she knocked on the door. Everything inside seemed quiet, but she also noticed that lights were on upstairs. She decided then to open the door and peek her head in.

"Hello?"

She couldn't seem to find anyone, even when she called out. _Well, isn't this a warm welcome? Nice Dante, real nice... _Then again she had come to expect this kind of thing from him, hadn't she? Friend or not, he really could be a bonehead.

She set her suitcase down and walked further into the room. She checked the three rooms she could find downstairs with no luck. However she did manage to find a picture sitting on what she guessed was Dante's desk in one of the rooms. Her eyes lit up as she saw it.

_Jeezus... _So THAT was Trish and Lady? She suddenly felt a bit self conscious. She had never been the type to really go all out in terms of her looks. Her mom had always taken a natural approach, but then again her mom had been a natural beauty unlike her. Trish and Lady though were just too much. Trish with her long, silky blonde hair and Lady with a dark beauty about her. Both were almost as tall as Dante which was extremely intimidating to a girl of 5'6 who had never even considered women could be so...graceful looking.

She set the photo down as she felt the old green eye of envy clouding her own emerald ones. _Some women have all the luck. _Yet, Trish had always been good to her so she was at least relieved to see her good looks hadn't gone to her head. _As insecure as ever Amy, kudos._

She looked at Dante. He didn't look a day older than the last time she saw him, except his hair was different now, and he did have a more mature air to him. _If that's even possible._ She thought with a smirk. She couldn't help but wonder if this is what _he _would've looked like if...

Amy heard movement from above, high voices going back and forth. _Jackpot! _She moved quickly from the side room and returned to the main one. It was coming from the room at the top of the steps. It wouldn't technically be eavesdropping if she were supposed to be there right? She slowly ascended the stairs with a smirk as she crept to the door. She would surprise them, and then smack Dante hard for forgetting to pick her up from the airport.

"You can't say you don't give a damn about anyone." She heard Dante say with a tone that set her to unease. Maybe she shouldn't be listening in. Were him and Trish fighting? She began to walk away when she heard her name. "What about Amy? You have no idea what she's been through!"

_Dante please, don't bring me into your lover's quarrel you bonehead._

"Amy?" A cold voice answered and she felt a shiver run through her. That was _not _Trish. "You actually think I gave a damn about her? She was nothing more than a passing fancy. If it hadn't been for the necklace I would've never even touched her."

She felt her heart begin beating very fast as she immediately recognized the voice as it continued in a more passive tone. She felt herself shaking, her head turning back and forth in protest to that voice being real. To those words having actually been said.

"You're a heartless bastard!" Dante yelled in defense of her. "What about after the necklace was gone?"

"She went from convenient pawn to someone with which to unload my pent up lust, nothing more." The voice continued with a cruel laugh to add insult to injury.

Dante's response was obscured by the sound of footsteps to her left. She turned to see Trish standing frigid a few feet from her. She looked surprised at seeing Amy standing there, and then her eyes widened in recognition as she must've remembered the trip Amy was to take to come here. Her eyes suddenly flew to the door Amy was almost nose to nose with.

"Don't...!" Was all Trish got out before Amy put her hand on the knob and turned. She pushed the door inward and the first thing she saw was Dante's back. He turned around startled in slow motion, and as his body moved sideways she caught a glimpse of Vergil sitting up in the bed before him.

She stared motionless at him and was only slightly aware of Dante moving to her side and saying something to her. She wasn't paying attention. She had momentarily gone deaf and she couldn't take her eyes off of Vergil. He looked startled to see her as well, his eyes boring into her own but there was something wrong there. This wasn't the Vergil who had left her all those years ago. What more had happened to him? How the hell was he alive when Dante had told her he died? Why couldn't she suppress the urge to push Dante aside and tackle him to the bed? She felt her cheeks flush with anger, frustration and hurt.

"Amy!" Dante shook her until she finally turned her head from Vergil to look at him. "I, well, I mean.."

"Shut up Dante," she said very tersely. Dante stepped back as if she might hit him. She was willing to bet her look could've killed if she believed in it enough. She turned back to Vergil and moved to approach the bed.

"What?" He asked annoyed as she came to stand just next to him. Trish entered to stand by Dante as they exchanged nervous glances. Amy was looking at her hands for a moment, debating on what she wanted to do more. Hug him, or slap him? She decided to compromise by doing both. She swooped down and grabbed hold of Vergil, pulling him into a hug before he could protest. He didn't seem to have the strength anyway, and he was too shocked by her move to react when she pulled back and slapped him as hard as she could. A loud crack echoed through the room leaving everyone immobile but Amy. She didn't give him time to react, only stood calmly and walked for the door again.

"Y-you GET BACK HERE!" Vergil finally screamed as she left the room and turned the corner without so much as a glance over her shoulder. "Oooowww," he gasped as he clamped a hand to his clearly red cheek. His eyes watered from the blow and all he could do was gaze at the doorway that no longer held her figure.


	5. Truths, Memories, and Hello Kitty

**Wow, I took my time didn't I? lol I've been working hard on 4 stories simultaneously so you must forgive me if I'm not quicker with my updates. :)**

**Anywho, not much else to say. R&R please.**

* * *

**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 5**

Dante stood frozen at the foot of the bed as Vergil threw a royal tantrum at his inability to even block an attack from a human girl. It should've been funny, but somehow he didn't feel much like laughing.

_How could I have forgotten she was coming? _He was suddenly aware that Trish was at his elbow, even though he'd seen her come in. His mind was a jumble of many thoughts, all of which ended with him getting throttled by Amy.

"I'll go check on her." Trish said, but Dante stopped her.

"Let me. I wouldn't want your introduction to be like this," he replied as he put a hand on her shoulder. She gave him an unsure look, more than likely realizing what might occur but it was better that he took the brunt of whatever was to come. After all, Trish had wanted to tell Amy right away but he had objected to it.

"What is _she_ even doing here?!" Vergil's voice broke through and Dante turned to cock an eyebrow at him.

"You need to shut up and think about what just happened. And God damnit if you don't learn anything from it I swear I will lock her in here with you and let her kick your ass," he said coldly before turning to walk out of the room.

"Are you all right?" Trish asked as she stood rooted to the spot. Vergil surveyed her through narrowed eyes.

"What would you care?"

"I don't," she said pointedly with a shrug. "But when he calms down he will and _that _I do care about." She nudged her head towards the open doorway Dante just walked through.

"You have _nothing _to do with us, you hear me?" He seethed. She was oddly reminded of a dog who raised its hackles when it felt threatened. She only smirked.

"I don't expect you to like me Vergil..."

"Then LEAVE," he growled at her.

"...but bare in mind that I could've left you back there."

"Then why didn't you? Oh... let me guess," he said mockingly. "Because you _love _Dante, right?"

"I did it for a lot of reasons. For him, Amy, maybe even myself. You don't remember anything about your time with Mundus, do you?" She asked.

Vergil hesitated before answering nonchalantly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"If you _could_ remember then you would've known me the instant we met, and yet you said you'd never met me before. How odd, considering it was I who looked after you during your stay on Mallet. Tell me Vergil, do you remember that?"

"You lie!" Vergil hissed.

"It's true. You sit back and loathe me because of what I look like, my relationship with Dante, and yet it was you who instilled me with the ability to reach out to others. Isn't it funny? You influenced it and Dante made me want to act on it. Our master was a cruel one, and even as a soulless shell you found ways of breaking the surface of your confinement. Glimmers of humanity within the confines of demonic oblivion."

Vergil glared at her, but no matter how much he yelled it seemed not to phase her.

"I don't know what game you're playing Vergil, but the truth about everything will have to come out sooner or later..."

"I'd rather DIE!" He yelled at her, his chest heaving with his fury.

"Then you will. Alone in the same darkness you were rescued from," She said in a pitying voice as she looked at him. "I have learned to be a patient person, but I won't let you hurt them anymore. If you decide you want to know the truth then you know where to find me." She eyed him for a moment and turned to leave the room, shutting his bedroom door with a hollow click.

----------

She wasn't in the hall, in the main room, or any of the other rooms. He was partially relieved because this delayed the moment till he had to face her. Then again she was not the kind of person to be left alone with her emotions. She was too brash when it came to them, and so she tended to act on impulse.

_Yeah, like smacking a pissed off half demon who could normally break her in two if it suited him._

It hadn't been a wise move on her part. Dante didn't think people could do that kind of stuff to Vergil. He'd never even considered it possible to get that close to Vergil without a weapon to help keep a safe distance. Although, the look on Vergil's face when she'd hugged him he would've paid any price to have captured on film. He would have to wait to savor that moment though until after he calmed Amy down.

"You see a pissed off red head come by here?" Dante asked Lady who was standing stock still in the main room, as if not sure what to do. Lady looked at him with her wide eyes and nodded.

"She ran off out the door," she replied. Dante turned and noticed with partial relief that her bags were still sitting there, so she hadn't gone for good. "You think she was so pissed off that she forgot her luggage?"

"You're really not helping Lady," he groaned as he passed a hand over his face.

"I try.." Lady said cutely. She watched as Dante headed for the door. "It was nice knowing you. Can I have your jukebox?"

Dante tried his best to ignore her as he pulled open the front door and stepped out. He didn't have to go far though, because he could see Amy crouched over as she sat on the curb. He gritted his teeth and walked towards her. He made himself comfortable just next to her and leaned back onto his arms as he looked sideways at her.

Her jaw was clenched and her eyes never stopped glaring at the car across the street. He noticed with some humor that she had somehow grown in the years since he saw her last. Her hair was shorter and her face had filled out. Her eyes though reflected that wide eyed green of all she'd seen in her short time. They were saturated by time, flecked with memories and currently outlined with anger.

He leaned forward a bit to try and catch her eye, but she was resolutely not looking at him.

"Amy, c'mon," he said softly as he reached a hand out to take hers.

"If you want to keep that hand..." Amy warned, but he ignored her and grasped onto it.

"If you want to beat me up then do it, but just get it over with already."

She turned to look at him and it made him feel a bit better to see she wasn't ignoring him anymore. He would wish she had though as she took his words as an open invitation. She had turned only to size up where would do the most considerable damage.

"Amy!" He yelled with a nervous laugh as she actually tried to punch him. She stood up quickly when she missed and started off down the street. He got up and followed. "Let's go back inside," he prodded gently, but she swung around.

"How can you act like nothing is wrong?! I mean, jeezus Dante! He's ALIVE, and you didn't fucking tell me?!" She seemed to blow up in his face. Dante took a well calculated step back as her face looked at him pained

"I didn't know if he would even come back, and if he did WHAT he would come back as. I couldn't get you involved without knowing first."

"You KNEW that I would've wanted to know regardless. You said you didn't know if he was really dead, so at least I could've had some kind of closure! Something! Anything but the hell of not knowing!"

Dante didn't respond to this, because this wasn't just some argument between them. She was visibly hurt by his actions and she wanted him to know it. The really crappy thing was that he had looked forward to her visit prior to Vergil's arrival. Even now as she glared at him he missed her company. She could always make him feel so hollow just by denying him of her time and attention. The time spent with her all those years ago had made him understand her better than even Vergil could boast about. He hated seeing her this way, and he hated the looks she was giving him.

"Amy," he began, but didn't know how to continue. Technically speaking he shouldn't apologize for trying to keep her from the emotional stress of Vergil should he? He had just wanted to protect her in case Vergil came back just as he did.

"God damnit," she whispered out of the blue. Dante looked up and she seemed to have calmed in the time it took him to think of a suitable response. She crouched down and put her arms over her head. "You're such an asshole."

He bent over and set a hand on her shoulder slowly, as her threats still hung in the air. When she didn't smack him he went a step further and tried nudging her towards him, which only made her topple over due to her lack of balance. He caught her with reluctance, wondering if she'd throw a fit, but she eased quietly enough into a forced hug from him.

"Why Dante?" Amy's voice scratched.

"I can't give you an answer any better than the one I've given."

"It's not even the fact that you kept Vergil from me... Well, that's a huge part of it, but not the only reason." Amy looked up at him. "You jerk... I was so worried. I called and called but you never picked up. You never returned my calls either."

Dante felt a pang of guilt. His cell phone had gotten destroyed and with Vergil's arrival it had wiped any thoughts of replacing it out of his head or calling Amy to let her know. The work phone itself didn't have any type of voicemail, being almost as ancient as the building itself, so unless they answered the phone themselves phone calls went missed. When Dante was with Vergil he ceased to remember he had a life outside of this place. People who would actually notice him missing.

"I was worried for the first time in a long time. I thought something had happened to you!" Amy pushed Dante for emphasis at her frustration, but he kept hold of her. There was no way he was giving her the room to lash out at him. "You're the only family I have left Dante... I thought I'd lost you too," she continued. This time though she hugged him back as if relieved to find that she could still find comfort in him. "Jerk, I want to be so mad at you right now, but I'm too relieved."

Dante mulled over this. He had never thought of it that way, but then again they were all one twisted family weren't they? It made him happy to hear her say that. Even if she'd want to hit him once this moment had passed. He was still glad and warmed by her gesture.

"I'm sorry," he said softly as he hugged her. "As for losing me too, well, he is here isn't he?"

"I'm not so sure about that," Amy pulled back from him a bit. "I think he made it pretty clear. That bastard, I actually believed him too."

"He's just pissed off because he's been bedridden for a while now."

"What?" She asked.

"Didn't notice he didn't come after you after you clocked him one?" Dante grinned. "Which by the way, that was _awesome._"

She stifled a small laugh, obviously not ready to forgive and forget.

"Maybe I should just go back home."

"What?! I know it's been a million years since I've seen you, but who the hell are you and what did you do with Amy?! Amy doesn't give up that easily. You going to let Vergil spoil the plans we made?" Dante barked at her.

"I dunno if I could be in the same house as him and not add to his injuries," she smirked.

"Yes, but if you leave now you lose the opportunity to torture me as retribution for my sins as well as Vergil who deserves it far more than I do," he grinned. "He's too helpless right now to do much other than piss and moan all day long. This way he can have an adequate excuse to do so..."

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Amy exclaimed.

"C'mon, you don't even have to talk to him if you don't want to. Doubt he'll bother you much, so why let him ruin this time we set aside? I'll send him on a couple jobs once he gets his strength back and then you and I can go..."

"Bar hopping?" Amy interrupted with a smirk.

"Hell no. I wouldn't even let you near mouthwash with alcohol in it after that last stunt you pulled. You're on a kiddy cocktail diet you lush." With that Dante pulled her into a headlock until she gave over to some laughter.

"I'm not going to let you off so easily you know. Although bribery would help."

"Ok, so what do I have to do to at least get on your good side?" He asked with a roll of his eyes. Between Lady and Amy he was pretty sure he'd have no dignity left. "Want me to get you a pair of Vergil's tighties whities?" He grinned at her obvious glare because it mixed with a redness in her cheeks. "I'm just kidding, Vergil sleeps naked anyway," he continued nonchalantly. She tried to push him over but he side stepped her. She turned and gave him a triumphant smirk.

"Let me tell Trish about the _accident,_" she said.

"No way! You promised you would never tell... Amy, you little bitch!" He growled as she began walking away and flagging down a passing Taxi. He grabbed her arm. "OK FINE, but I need to approve what you tell her first. Deal?"

Amy studied his face for a moment before putting her hand out.

"Deal," she replied with a grin.

----------

Vergil was sitting on the side of his bed staring at the floor determinedly. Of all the times for her to come back it had to have been then. His head was hurting him thanks to the slap practically across his temple. She hit with meaning now and damn did it hurt.

His mind was a jumble of several thoughts. Trish's words, Amy's face, and Dante. These people around him that he could not escape. He wasn't ready yet, not for this.

A part of him had an idea of what this "truth" was that Trish had mentioned, but he didn't want to know it. He had known something was wrong all those years ago when he captured glimpses of things he couldn't possibly been seeing, but somehow was. A girl who looked like his mother...

_Ahhh, stop it. _Now was not the time to think about this. If anything he should push it further from his mind in case more unwanted memories returned. What he should be thinking of now is getting well so he could leave. It was the most important thing to him now, his personal and mental freedom.

It was so important... So why did he keep thinking about them?

----------

There are people in your life who, no matter how you try, will always find a way to be forgiven. It was annoying, but somewhat forgotten with only a smile. People can hurt us unintentionally, even intentionally and yet it is in our hearts to want to forgive. Even if hurt multiple times. It is one human characteristic Amy had yet to figure out.

Dante could flash a grin and it would set her at ease. He had somehow managed to calm the raging storm within her, and she partially hated him for it. Mostly she loved him for it, because it meant she truly did love him as anyone would an annoying older brother. It proved the one fear that had been building since Dante left all those years ago was false. That she had not grown cold, and apathetic. She still craved the company of others, and cared about their feelings despite her own. She had missed the bastard, and while she certainly wouldn't let him off the hook, in her heart she knew she'd already given over. _Bastard..._

Dante walked back into the building with Amy's head tucked under his arm in a headlock. She was punching and biting anything she could reach with a unmistakable laugh and idle threats of disembowelment, torture, and really bad karaoke. At the last threat he let go.

"I'll pass. It's hard getting dried blood out of your ear with all those nooks and crannies," he smirked as he let her go once the door had shut behind them. She pushed him sideways and he caught himself.

Lady was now sitting on the couch, one leg crossed over the other as her cat like eyes surveyed them with interest.

"I don't believe it." Lady said. "Never seen you take a beating so well."

"Her beatings are gentle in comparison to yours, you demon," He grinned.

"Are not!" Amy yelled and punched his shoulder with all her strength.

"Ow! Damn it all! Two demonic witches living under one roof. Oh yes, how I've wanted this," He groaned as he rubbed his shoulder.

"I'm Lady, by the way." Lady said as she stood up and walked over. She tapped Amy on the shoulder in an affectionate way that almost made Amy topple over. Lady laughed and clamped a strong hand on her shoulder. "She beat you up all the time Dante?"

"Before there was you, there was Amy. You could say the beatings have always been with me," he responded with a mock bitter tone.

"I like her already. Perhaps I could put her to use." Lady said thoughtfully. "You come see me when you have a second." Lady winked at her. "For now though I must find Kalina Anne. If he misbehaves I leave it in your able hands."

Amy smirked as Lady winked at her and walked up the stairs to search the remainder of the place. She turned and looked at Dante who had his hand over his face exasperatedly. Amy laughed and pulled it down, pulling him further into the room. He knew what she wanted, what she had been waiting for.

He lead her into the door next to the kitchen. As he expected he found Trish cleaning up from the training session with Vergil. There hadn't been much to clean, so she was checking everything she could as if she didn't know what else to do with her time. Amy stood hand to hand with him in the doorway just looking at her.

"Hey Trish, I found a lost puppy on the side of the road," he cooed softly at her back. Trish turned slowly, as if wondering if everything was OK. "Think we can keep her?"

Despite talking continuously over the phone there was a moment of strain between the two girls as they smiled at each other. Partly because Trish wasn't sure where things stood with what happened, and because Amy was never normally the one to make the first move. Dante however took charge and practically pushed Amy at Trish.

"Hey." Amy laughed as she stood in front of Trish.

"Hello." Trish replied with a smirk.

Dante watched them both with a roll of his eyes.

"It's not like this is a first date. Although that whole girl on girl thing is a nice idea," he said wickedly pretending to imagine it.

"I think he should leave now, don't you?" Amy asked Trish.

"I think you're right," she replied as she walked to push Dante towards the door.

"Can't I stay and watch?" He asked with a disappointed look. "I could get the video camera..."

"Out!" Trish laughed as she tried to close the door on him, but he wedged a foot in.

"Take some pictures for me, OK?"

Trish gave a final push and Dante was outside of the room. She turned to smile at Amy and all Amy could do was smile back. It was very intimidating being around all these attractive people, and Amy couldn't help but feel a bit self conscious.

"How was your trip?" Trish asked as she walked over to a run down old couch near the door.

"Honestly, it was nerve racking. I'm not a good flier. Poor flight attendant thought I was going to start freaking out about a guy being on the wing," she grinned as she joined her. "I could've cried when we reached solid ground."

"You made it in one piece though, so it couldn't have been that bad."

"Next time round I'm bringing some Dramamine with me. Enough about me though. How are things here?" Amy asked.

Trish had an odd suspicion it wasn't just Dante and Trish she was asking about, but decided not to point it out.

"Fine. We've been hunting a lot more together..." Trish eyed her playfully.

"Oh, OK." Amy said in a voice that sounded like it was trying to be interested.

"You can ask about Vergil you know."

"What? No, I don't, I mean I could care less... No I..." Amy stumbled and Trish let out a laugh.

"What do you want to know? Even if you're pissed now we both know you'll begin asking sooner of later. Might as well get it out of the way now." Trish winked as she leaned back comfortably.

Amy didn't respond to this, too stubborn to ask all the questions that she had. Trish sighed exasperated with her.

"He's been here only a few weeks, and he has some issues with regaining use of his muscles. He was bedridden for a long time before he woke up, so he's got a ways to go in recovery. He can walk though so do be careful if you should decide to try fighting with him."

"Don't you worry about that. He can just stay upstairs for all I care, the pompous jerk." Amy growled as she crossed her arms over her chest and sank back to sit shoulder to shoulder with Trish.

"Well, he won't always be up there so be prepared to see him up and about. Don't jump the gun too when it comes to him. There is more to all this I think."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked, suddenly quite interested.

Trish sat in silence for a long while debating on what exactly she should say in response to this. She did not know his whole story, but there was a time when she knew a little about Vergil from first hand experience.

"There is more to Vergil than meets the eye. Dante knows _some_ of this already because I told him after Vergil returned. I think that is why he can keep a chipper mood despite what Vergil does."

"What do you know?" Amy asked.

"Ever wondered why I picked up the phone the first time we talked?" Trish's eyes twinkled mischievously and Amy only eyed her. "When I heard that Dante was on the phone with you I couldn't help myself, since I had heard so much about you."

"Dante talking me up eh?" Amy asked.

"No... It was Vergil," she replied with a smirk. Amy's eyebrows furrowed and she looked at Trish as if she had misheard her. "Ok, so he didn't talk you up... well he didn't talk lucidly, but he did talk about a girl named Amy. When Dante mentioned a girl named Amy as well I knew it couldn't have been a coincidence, so I took a leap and picked up the phone."

"I don't understand... Vergil talked about me before I got here, but yet he hates me?"

"No, this was before I even met Dante, when I only knew Vergil as Nelo."

"Ok, I'm really confused now..." Amy groaned as she palmed her eye.

"I don't know where I was, or even who I was before Mundus, but I was not alone on that island. Demon spawn of all kind that bent to my will and answered to me in Mundus' absence was the norm. Then one day another joined me." Trish began as Amy dropped her hands and looked at her.

"I could tell something was wrong with him when I first met him, almost as if all the lights weren't on. I never paid him much mind, except when I was asked to look after him."

"Look after him?" Amy asked.

"It sounds funny, but he would become restless from time to time. He morphed from his demonic form into that of a part human and would babble endlessly about people I didn't know. Three in particular... Eva, Dante and Amy. It would always happen whenever Mundus left the castle for long periods of time. You see, Mundus had been locked away within the hell gate, but he could venture to the castle. Yet if he stayed too long he slowly lost strength. So he would leave for long periods to regain his strength and build his army. So after a while Nelo would begin to show what I now consider his "Vergil" side. It was almost like a fever, but I see it more as a rebellion."

"A rebellion to what?" Amy asked.

"Against whatever Mundus had done to him. Seeing Vergil now, his stubbornness and strength it's hard to believe he was ever Nelo. Unless of course he was being controlled against his will. I don't think Vergil was working for Mundus, but was forced. How or why I don't know. We won't unless Vergil can tell us what happened after he fell into hell."

"Sure, that's simple. After all he is Mr. share and care." Amy said sarcastically.

"My point is that there is something not right about his attitude. Sure, he can hate me all he wants, but if he truly loathed Dante and you then WHY would his thoughts turn to you two in rare lucid moments? It doesn't add up." Trish shrugged as she slapped Amy's leg. "Time will tell whether or not he'll open up, but until then we're on vacation and so are you."

Trish grabbed Amy's arm and stood, taking Amy with her as she headed for the door.

"Let me give you the grand tour, minus Vergil's room of course..."

"Of course," Amy interrupted appreciatively.

"...and we'll get you settled" Trish continued as she pulled open the door and almost was attacked by Dante.

"Wow, that's what I call a quickie...," he grinned as he took a step back as Amy moved to strike.

----------

As the lightening and thunder continued Vergil huddled in the dirty cave shivering. He wasn't so use to being alone, and as time wore on he realized he didn't like it. The imagine kept popping into his mind of his mother, and how he wished he were at home snuggled in her lap by the fireplace. Or nestled between her and Dante in their room.

Despite himself he felt his tears coming to his eyes. He tried to push them back, because he wasn't a crybaby like Dante was. He was the eldest, and he was in charge while his dad was away...

"Oh no..." Vergil gasped at the thought. With him gone who would protect his family? Dante couldn't because it was Vergil who his father had appointed the job. He suddenly felt ten times worse, because in his moment of anger he had forgotten his duties. To protect Dante and his mother no matter what. He had promised his dad he would always look out for them. "Mommy..." Vergil cried at the sudden hopelessness of the situation. He wanted to go home, because even if Dante was a crybaby and his mother's favorite he still loved them. Dante was his twin, his missing half and his mother their world.

Even when she was tired, or mad she still smiled for them. He loved it when she curled with them in bed and told them stories about their father. The way Dante would cry for him if he went too far, and would sometime curl next to him on the couch or ask him to read him stories so he could fall asleep.

"Vergil!"

Vergil looked up at the sound and felt his throat tighten. A flash of lightning illuminated a figure running through the rain. Her long blonde hair clung to her, and in her white dress she looked like his personal savior. Eva's eyes locked on the cave and she ran to put her arms around him.

"Momma!" Vergil cried as he curled his small hands around her neck and sobbed at the sight of her.

"Vergil, I was so worried!" Eva exclaimed as she pulled him into her arms and held him as if she might never hold him again. "Don't ever scare me like that!" She stroked his hair and as he pulled back he could distinguish her tears from her rained soaked face.

"I'm sorry," he said apologetically before hugging her again. "I'm so sorry." He was so relieved that he didn't care about her babying him, or that he was blubbering almost as bad as Dante.

"Why did you run away?" Eva asked as she sat him back to look at him. Vergil lowered his eyes.

"You love Dante more," he half whispered.

"Don't ever say that Vergil!" Eva said sharply. Vergil winced and she softened her face and voice. "Look at me sweetheart. I could never love you any less than Dante. You both are my life, and nothing will ever change that."

"I know momma," he replied with a downcast look.

"Vergil," she sighed. "Come on, let's get out of the rain."

The two of them made it back to the cabin with some difficulty, Vergil holding his mother's hand the entire time and clinging to her hip to block out the cold. As soon as he stepped inside though he was practically mauled by his brother.

"VERGIL!" Dante cried as he tackled him. His face was red with tears, nose running, and he wouldn't stop blubbering. "I thought you weren't coming back! I thought you hated me for pushing you and calling you a jerk! I'm so sorry Vergil, please don't go anywhere! I'll be nice to you and even give you my favorite toy if you promise to never leave me!" Somehow Dante managed that all in a single breath and it was almost funny.

Dante hugged him to the floor and both boys heard a soft chuckle come from their mother. She leaned down to sit on her knees and put her arms out to them.

"Come here boys," Eva said in her sweet voice. Dante jumped at the chance, but held back to help Vergil up. The two each took a seat on their mothers lap as she held their turned faces to her chest and stroked their hair. "We'll always be OK, as long as you remember your family. They may make you angry or do things you don't understand, but family will always be there. Love one another as I love you and nothing will ever come between you." She placed a kiss on each of their heads.

"I'm sorry mom." Vergil repeated after a quiet moment. He stretched an arm around to embrace his brother as his mother wrapped her arms around them both.

"So you forgive me Vergil?" Dante hiccupped as he studied his brother.

"Yeah."

"So do I still have to give you my toy?" Dante asked.

----------

Vergil opened his eyes to see it was still pitch black out. He turned to look at the clock and it read 3:12am. He didn't know why he had suddenly awoken. It almost felt purposeful, but he couldn't remember what he had been dreaming. He felt oddly contented though, which wasn't something he had associated with his life as of late. He had been prone to sleeping odd hours, but this was the first time he had woke up in the middle of the night with no feeling of wanting to go back to bed.

He closed his eyes to try and float off but after about 15 minutes he gave up and made to rise from the bed. It was difficult work, but he managed it and stretched as far as he could to get the circulation going again. His mouth felt dry so he decided to head down to the kitchen and get some water.

The place was quiet which was a nice change from the daytime. He always preferred nighttime for how quiet it could be. The world slept, oblivious to the fact that he was working, or reading, or plotting. Humans were day walkers by nature, and his kind could go either way.

He didn't need to bother walking quietly because his amble was slow to begin with. He couldn't wait for the day when he could do something as simple as walk with purpose rather than shuffle along. He would walk right into that training room and kick Dante's ass.

He reached the kitchen, grabbed himself a bottle of water from the fridge, and headed back. The water felt good going down, and maybe instead of going back to sleep he would go into the training room and work on building his strength. _Why not_.

As he turned on the lights though he suddenly froze. Amy was asleep on the couch by the door, not at all phased by the sudden flooding of the overhead lights. He glared down at her, because the last thing he wanted to do was wake her so that he would have to interact with her.

He turned to shut off the light when he heard a small sigh come from her direction. He turned and noticed she had turned on her side and was hugging her pillow. She sighed again, but this time what she said was audible.

"Jerk...," she mumbled sleepily.

Vergil raised an eyebrow at her and turned. He shut the light off in case it might be waking her up when she mumbled his name.

"Vergil...you..jerk."

Even in the darkness he could still see her. He came around in front of the couch and just looked at her. He realized this was the first time he had actually seen her asleep without her having been knocked unconscious, which seemed pretty funny to him, but he did not laugh.

She had cut her hair he noted with a frown. He had liked it better long. _Where did that thought come from? _She looked disheveled and oblivious which made her a lot less dangerous. It was hard to think the girl who had attacked him hours ago was the same person laying in front of him.

Without really realizing it he had crouched down to sit on the floor next to the couch. He was studying her too closely and tried to find reasoning for it. Maybe if he did he would be able to consider what to say if she tried talking with him. He would be more prepared for the set speech he had planned for her. One he was sure may hurt her.

"It's for the best," he whispered to the darkness.

"Jerk," she mumbled again.

He reached over and pulled the covers up to her shoulders with a mournful look at her. He could do this, because he had done it so many times before. So much so he was a fucking expert now. He frowned and began to rise. He got to his knees to kneel over her on his way up when the door suddenly flew open and the lights came on. Vergil turned to see Lady coming in from a case.

"What are you doing?" She asked suspiciously. It was then Vergil realized he was kneeling next to the couch leaning over Amy's sleeping form. He also realized with a rise of heat in his cheeks that by pulling the blanket up he had exposed her lower half which was only covered by her underwear. He hadn't been paying that close of attention in the darkened room.

"None of your business," He growled defensively. Lady was holding some weapons which she was obviously going to put back on the shelf so he couldn't ask what _she _was doing there. The worst was yet to come though, as he heard movement below him. He turned to see Amy stone cold awake and staring up at him confused. His response to Lady had woken her up. Worse still, Amy seemed to have felt the cold air on her lower half and her eyes glared at him accusingly.

"Why you!" Amy started, but didn't finish before a hand was flailing in his general direction. She sat up to strike at him and he grabbed a hold of her wrists to prevent her.

"Stop it!" He growled at her as she tried to pull away. Vergil lost his balance and as he fell backwards he pulled Amy off the couch with him. Vergil let out a groan as Amy fell into him hard and every muscle under her screamed in protest. She didn't waste any time though as she crawled up to straddle him and went back to trying to throttle him. He held her arms at bay with his own and bucked his hips to get rid of her. "Don't just stand there!" Vergil growled at Lady who had taken to leaning against the door with a cheshire grin on her face. "Help me!"

Lady walked nonchalantly from the room and switched the light off before she closed the door. Vergil let out a yell of annoyance and took hold of Amy's shoulders, tossing her with whatever strength he had to the side. They rolled and they reversed sides. He held her down.

"Cocky, smug bastard!" Amy yelled at him as she tried to claw his eyes out.

"Cocky yes, smug, damn straight, but I am NOT your personal punching bag woman!" He yelled at her as she twisted every which way to get away from him.

Like clockwork the door opened again and light illuminated the room. This time though it wasn't Lady.

"Vergil! You pervert!" Dante gasped almost laughing.

"What?" Vergil said dumbfounded as he glared at Dante. Dante smirked at him and gave a suggestive look in their direction. Vergil looked down at their situation and he practically jumped off of Amy, which was saying a lot considering his lack of strength. Not before Dante pulled out his camera and took a snapshot.

In all her struggles not only had Vergil forgot she was only in a t-shirt and underwear, but by struggling she had forced her shirt up and to an onlooker it appeared as if the two were engaged in other activities beside fighting. A man, clad only in pajama pants himself straddling a half naked woman of which both were breathing up a storm. _Someone just kill me now..._

Amy grabbed a hold of her shirt and pulled it down.

"I didn't know you liked Hello Kitty Amy," Dante grinned.

"SHUT UP DANTE!" Vergil and Amy almost said simultaneously.

"A pictures worth a thousand words," Dante continued as he waved the digital camera at them. "C'mon lover boy, let's get you back to bed shall we?"

Vergil ignored them both as somehow managed to bolt angrily from the room. Dante looked back at Amy who managed to grab the blanket she had to cover herself with.

"Hellooooooo kitty kitty..." Dante said before slamming the door as Amy threw her pillow at it. He laughed as he headed into his office, determined to get the picture uploaded before either could destroy the evidence. Perhaps there was hope for them after all...


	6. Of Truces and Restless Nights

**Wow, this is the longest chapter of any story I've ever written! LMAO Partly due to the fact that I had 3 different versions of Chapter 6, and I couldn't figure out which I wanted to go with. So I combined my favorite ideas and it went a lot longer than originally planned. 17 pages LONG! I typically only do 8... **

**Sorry this took so long. I got knocked out by the flu, and am still suffering from the after math of it.**

**NOTE: This chapter not only has a scene from Bleed For Me (Chapter 14: Farewell), but is a prequel/sequel to it as well as a continuation of another memory (Chapter 9: Drowning) from there as well. So for my readers who previously know these scenes you should be fine. New readers may want to at least check out those scenes. I also recommend reading Bleed For Me to get a grasp of where this entire story began. How Amy knew Vergil previous, and how she came to know Dante etc... This is a sequel to Bleed For Me.**

**I mentioned this in my first chapter, but I get the feeling some of the readers of this fic don't know about Bleed For Me. Dunno, we'll see.**

**Excuse me if this chapter gets a bit fluffy, but I was seriously missing Vergil/Amy interaction.**

**As always R&R if possible. I'm going to try and work on my other 2 stories after this as well as... a continuation of Nothing But Trouble! I blame you guys for asking when the next update would be considering it says Complete...lmao The more you guys asked, the more I began to think of ideas. Dunno when it will be out but more angst, fluff, and drunk Vergil for all!**

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**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 6**

He stayed close to his room, and she stayed as far from it as she could. It left Dante to consider whether or not this entire thing was a blow-up waiting to happen.

It might've been fine if he could've kept Amy distracted and away from the shop. Problem was that he originally planned months before her visit to make a list of things they could do aside from bars and pizza places. Well, with Vergil's arrival that had gone out the window, and so now all he could think of was those things. To Trish's chagrin he had sent Amy out to do odd errand jobs. She seemed almost relieved to have them, but Dante couldn't help but feel they were wasting her vacation time despite her quietness.

On the odd chance that the two were in the same room Dante could almost feel the tension between them. Vergil was still sore about what had occurred the first night she came, and openly glared at her whenever they were within sight of one another. Amy on the other hand was so expertly good at ignoring him it seemed as if he wasn't there at all in her mind. This was how she wanted it, and yet when Vergil, tired of glaring, got up to leave he swore he saw her eyes flicker in his direction. Which was then followed by her taking a walk that lasted a good hour.

Amy was meant to stay for two weeks with them. By the end of week one Dante was thinking she'd want to head home early. Despite these feelings the time spent with her, uninterrupted by Vergil was almost as he could remember it. She was laughing, quick to tease, and easy to talk to. The more time spent around Lady and Trish, the more open she became and it eased him a bit that her trip wasn't in vain.

"No!" Amy laughed as she pulled her cards to her chest before pushing Dante back as he tried to look at them. "God, you are such a cheater!"

"Please, I don't need to resort to cheating with this much skill."

Dante laid down his hand as a collective groan rung out.

"He HAS to be cheating," Lady moaned as she threw her hand down.

"Come now ladies, how could you think such harsh things," he grinned as he took the money on the table.

"He probably is." Trish added with a suspicious glance at him.

"Et tu Trish?"

"Well, I'm not stupid enough to put down any more money." Amy said as she leaned back in her chair to survey everyone.

"I'm out," said Lady.

"Oh come ON! Cowards!" Dante said incredulously. "You just know I'll win."

"Duh." Trish said as she flipped a poker chip between her fingers with a smirk. "And as Amy said, we're not stupid enough to continue."

"Dude, what the hell are we supposed to do then?"

"You're the party man, can't you think of something?" Lady asked as she sat back in her chair eyeing him comfortably.

"Maybe I could call Narc over for..."

"Not a chance!" Lady interrupted him.

"Ok, it's me against three girls, and I'm beginning to feel the estrogen. We need to even out the score or else I think I'll go insane." Dante said huffily as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm rather liking the odds. You're just too use to this being an all male business." Trish purred at him with a smirk. He just glowered at her unimpressed.

"If you need manly companionship there is one up stairs you know." Lady deadpanned. Dante gave her a "shut up" look with a quick look towards Amy who only smirked at him and rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to be so careful. Everything is fine, really." Amy said getting up to stretch. "I'm going to go get something to drink, you guys want anything?"

"You think they're ever going to talk?" Lady asked curiously after Amy had left for the kitchen.

"Ha! If you call killing one another _talking_." Dante replied as he glanced up towards the loft above the main room. He had to do a double take because he swore he saw Vergil's door slightly ajar, but when he looked again he found it closed.

"She'll be here for another week. You can't say that they can keep this silent treatment up can you?" Trish asked. The three were huddled close to the middle of the table as to keep their conversation between themselves.

"I'm pretty sure they can. Their stubbornness has only ever been outmatched by the other."

"Stranger pairs have been made." Lady said pointedly as she eyed Dante's hand which had suddenly been covered by Trish's. Her gaze straightened to them both and Dante only grinned back at her. _That much is true..._ He looked again over his shoulder, first to the loft and then to the kitchen door.

"If you ladies want to end the silence strike it'll take a bit of cunning... and some manipulation of situations. You two ready for that?" Dante asked leaning in with a hushed voice. Lady and Trish looked at one another smiling deviously.

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

Beer, wine, margarita mix, hard alcohol...

"For someone who doesn't want me to drink..." Amy began loud enough to be heard in the next room "...you have quite a selection of _beverages._"

She opted instead for bottled water before closing the door with her hip, three more bottles in her hands. She couldn't help but notice how quiet it had gotten since she left the room, and that never boded well. It wasn't until she was partway through the doorway though that she realized there was no sound what so ever coming from the room. In fact, it was empty as she came back through.

"What the?"

The card table was still up, no signs of clean up, and yet it was devoid of her poker buddies. She set the bottles on the table and it was then she noticed something that wasn't on the table before. A note.

_Amy - got called out on a job, be back late don't wait up. - Dante_

She rolled her eyes and sighed disappointedly before taking Dante's vacant seat with a bit of a pout. It wasn't that the jobs had been so many since her arrival, just that at least when one of them was out she had extra company in whoever stayed behind. This time though it appeared he'd taken Trish and Lady with him. She sunk low in the chair and leaned her head back. It was then she realized her thumb had been covering a scrawled message further down the note.

_P.S. - Please give Vergil drink in fridge - top left hand side._

"Uhhh, what?" She asked the note as if it would respond. She was hoping it was a reminder Dante had jotted down for himself. She turned it over and her lip curled.

_P.S.S. - No I mean you Amy._

"Son of a...," she silently cursed as she tossed the message away. Her eyes lingered on the table, but soon found their way to the second floor loft, and the closed door at the top. Her mind had wandered there more times then she would willingly admit, but even now the thought of her first night made her flinch.

The last time she'd seen him the need to heal and protect had been so overwhelmingly strong that she was ashamed at what had occurred when she found him sitting over her in the back room. Not guilty of the slap he rightfully deserved, but of her reaction to him being so near to her when she awoke later in the night. She had forgotten that the same rules did not apply, as Vergil was almost incapable right now of doing anyone physical harm.

What had bothered her was her own reaction to finding Vergil beside her. But the sting of his words was still ringing in her ears even as she slept, so finding him there in that position had made her angry. _I am not a pawn, or his play thing. _She knew she shouldn't feel guilty, but she had taken advantage of his lack of strength and only realized her error after the fact. Yes, she was mad at him, but all she could ever think about was the night on the roof. Those stupid memories were still too raw to think of without wishing for a reversal of time.

Her mind had been thinking, just today actually, that she was tired of avoiding him. Not only was it uncomfortable for her when Vergil eyed her pointedly, but how it must be affecting the others as well. Vergil always knew how to make a bad situation worse, and she herself wasn't helping it by ignoring him. She had thought long and hard about everything, and maybe had been looking for an opening to breach the subject.

_I have to know what's going on. _

It may help nothing, and he may shut her out, but at least she could leave knowing she'd at least tried. Dante said it himself. She had never been the type to give up so easily, especially when it came to Vergil.

She sighed and headed into the kitchen. She found the half full blender pitcher on the top shelf and eyed the white substance distastefully. According to Dante this stuff was supposed to help Vergil get his strength back. As she poured it into a cup though the thick consistency made her feel it might make him sick instead. She was almost tempted to taste it, but curiosity was quickly subdued when something plopped into the glass. _Disgusting..._

She hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, thinking of reasons why she shouldn't go up there. _He's probably asleep... _She knew though it was her mind talking, and not the rest of her. She would just have to deal with this, no matter how the outcome. Her feet started up and without hesitation until she got to the door itself.

When she knocked there was no answer, so she opened the door and poked her head in. Vergil was sitting, fully dressed, in a chair in the opposite corner of the room. He had a book in his hand but the second she saw him his eyes were narrowed and locked on her.

"I don't recall asking you to come in," he said calmly.

"Yeah, well you need this don't you?" She asked holding the glass out. He looked at it and then back at her over his nose as she entered to stand before him.

"Is it poisoned?" He asked testily.

"No," she replied. He took it slowly from her hand as he set the book in his lap. He stared, and then sniffed at it for show before taking a sip. Finding nothing wrong with it he began to gulp it down, all the while never looking from her. In return she did not falter from his gaze and simply waited for him to be done. Although she could've gagged at the odd thoughts of what exactly it was he was drinking.

He drained the cup, handed it back to her, and then went back to reading his book. Amy in turn set the cup down on his night stand and walked about the room. He said nothing, showing no indications that he really even saw her still there. She wasn't about to leave though, which she made apparent when she sat on his bed facing his chair.

"I need to talk to you," she finally said.

"You are, aren't you?" Vergil asked, never looking up from his book.

"About the other night..."

"I won't apologize," he said simply. There was a stifling silence between them as if he were leaving her an opening. She took it.

"I'm not asking you to... You hate me, I get it. Maybe in a lot of ways I hate you too. You're mean, loud, and have no real concept of how to be consistent at anything except... well, being consistently loud and mean."

Vergil looked like he might cut in, but she quickly regained her voice.

"The truth of our past is that we do not know each other at ALL. Hell, neither of us knew anything about the others parents until the last time we saw each other. The most we know is how to fight, and...," she stopped, the word _kiss _dying on her mouth as she somehow diverted going bright red. "...play piano. That doesn't make much for a foundation, and maybe I see that more now that I've been forced to live with you."

"Seems I'm the one who was forced into living with you," he said coldly as he crossed his arm.

"Only for one more week Vergil. I guess what I'm trying to say is I have always, I mean I do care...about you… your well being." _Ahhh, why is this so hard. _"I don't want to spend the next 5 days fighting, or being glared at if it can be helped."

At this Amy put her hand out and Vergil stared at it with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm calling a truce. I know you don't really like the idea, but maybe we can somehow learn to get along? Maybe even, a million years from now, you could consider me a friend..."

Amy tried hard to not let the shaking she was feeling show in her hand as it held open in mid air waiting for Vergil to make a move. He was only staring at her though with untrusting eyes.

"That's it then? What game is this?" Vergil asked as he sat up in his chair, eyes narrowing at her. She only stared at him, her eyes blinking rapidly while trying to grasp what it was he was asking.

"Well, not all. My arm is getting tired from waiting," she finally said as she looked hopefully at her hand again. Vergil stood slowly and Amy stood with him, watching as he crossed past her to sit on the bed she had vacated. He sat down with effort and almost glowered at her for staring at him. Perhaps her expression looked pained as she watched him, and he had caught sight of it.

"That would be it, yeah." Amy shrugged when he only continued to watch her. "What did you expect?" She asked in a light tone as she moved forward. She bent over to help lift his legs into the bed, but Vergil stopped her. "Did I hurt you?" She asked. Vergil felt a growl in his throat, but swallowed it. Had she meant physically, or emotionally? The question could've been taken either way, and somehow he knew she'd meant when she had tried to help him. It made his stomach jump though, convincing himself she had meant it the other way.

"No," he mumbled as he pushed her hands away. "I'm not a child, and I do not need your help. As for this truce of yours I don't care. As soon as I'm well again..."

"I know, fire and brimstone," she began.

"Don't mock me!" He growled at her.

"Shit," she sighed placing a hand over her eyes. She took an uninvited seat next to his hip on the bed and he sneered at her as he had to move so his hand did not get caught underneath her. He noticed with annoyance she was laughing. "Truce, and already we're fighting." She uncovered her face and smiled at him. "Old habits die hard I guess. We were always so good at fighting weren't we?"

"You were good at antagonizing me, and it appears you've improved those skills."

Vergil stared pointedly at her and it didn't take Amy long to get the hint. She stood up, un-wrinkling the area she had sat on and started for the door.

"Oh! I almost forgot."

Vergil heard her words, but it was her hovering presence he saw first. She leaned across him and for a moment he was taken completely aback from her closeness. He felt her hair as it fell across the skin peaking beneath the open part of his shirt. It was the first time he had felt something familiar with her, and he found himself watching her profile in the split second before he grabbed her wrist.

Amy turned to look at him, her arm outstretched to grab the empty cup she had placed there earlier. Her heart lurched to see him so focused on her, not in a glare, but in a stare. It was almost like a jolt of electricity had shot between them, causing each other not to move or blink. Then the world righted itself again as she spoke.

"Your glass."

Vergil immediately let go of her, and she thought better about leaning over him. She quietly walked around him to his nightstand, took up the glass, and walked to the door. She turned back to him once she was a safe distance.

"Truce Vergil?" She asked.

"Whatever," he replied not looking at her even as she silently closed the door behind her.

Lady came grumbling down the stairs at about two in the morning to find Dante half asleep on the couch, the TV in front of him glaring the darkness away from him. They had come home to find Amy in bed, and Vergil _still _hiding in his room.

"Hey, get up!" She growled as she slapped his face just enough to wake him from his doze.

"Whattizit?" He asked groggily as he swallowed and sat forward. "What time is it?"

"Don't think it worked Casanova," she said in turn, ignoring his question. She wedged herself next to him and glared at the guests of the Jerry Springer show as one girl tried to beat up a tranny that had snagged her boyfriend. She rolled her eyes in Dante's direction and he grinned.

"Jerry, Jerry, Jerry," he chanted quietly along with the TV.

"She is keeping me up Dante. Whatever plan you had is not working," she said blandly.

"What are you talking about?"

"She's up there making all these weird noises in her sleep, and none of it sounds very happy. If she calls Vergil a jerk one more time I'm going to muzzle her. I know she's your friend and all, but I WILL do it!"

Dante let out such a loud laugh he had to stop himself partway through when Lady elbowed him and put a finger to her lips. They had placed Amy in Lady's room to help prevent any more unnecessary encounters. Things seemed to be going all right, but apparently something HAD happened because Amy was not the only one whose sleep was being interrupted.

"I'm serious!" Lady hissed at him.

"Dude, you should check on Vergil then." Dante said before clearing his throat and deepening his voice. "_Stupid girl," _he said before snorting. "I checked on him after lights out. I think they're mutually dreaming about throttling one another. Think it's possible?"

"Anything is possible with you people. But this Lady needs to sleep, so move your ass. Say bye bye to Jerry!"

Lady grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.

"I will kick you off Dante," she warned as she tried lying on the couch. Her feet met his hip as she tried to stretch out and so she gave it a good shove for measure.

"Fine fine, I'll go sleep next to someone who loves and appreciates me," he crooned as he stood, dusting himself off smugly. She smirked at him as she pulled the blanket off the back of the couch.

"Nevan doesn't count Dante," she quipped yawning before a pillow miraculously found aim at her head.

"Goodnight evil witch from the 3rd dimension of hell sent to torment me for all eternity," he called back as he hoisted himself up the stairs. When he got there he poked his head into Vergil's room again and again heard Vergil mumbling in his sleep. He couldn't help but wonder what the two were dreaming about.

Amy was restless as she crept quietly into the kitchen, trying so hard not to wake Lady who lay dead to the world on the couch. Waking to find Lady gone had only made the feeling of loneliness worse, like the nights when she would wake from vivid dreams to find only her empty apartment.

She hated the quiet that came with night fall, even dreaded the cold silence that always managed to grip her when she couldn't sleep. It was worse now because there were four other souls in this house, none of which were awake to take comfort in their company. It was so much easier to deny everything when she had someone else around to make her forget.

_The dreams are starting up again. _Amy thought it as she busied herself with scowering the cupboards for something other than alcohol. As tempting as that sounded, she wasn't going to drink her sorrows away. She just needed something warm to take away the cold she felt all over. She was trying to bring the dream back to the surface. No, not a dream... a long forgotten memory.

Vergil was mean to her, even when it seemed he was attempting to be nice. She had grown to know him this way, and to disregard it as just the way he was. To truly embrace a person like Vergil you had to accept that he could not be the way you wanted him to be. His was the only authority he lived by, and if you were lucky enough to be near him it was only because _he _tolerated your presence.

For her part Amy had tried her very hardest to stay on his good side. The longer they spent together the easier it became. She had thought they had finally met common ground, that they were friends. Yet Vergil could never be anyone else but Vergil.

"Must you always follow so closely?" He snapped at her. She shrank back from him when he had rounded on her. She didn't understand why he was suddenly so angry. He had been teaching her to swim and before she knew it he was angry with her. It had come so suddenly that it surprised her. He had walked off without waiting for her, and so she half ran next to him to keep up with his stride.

Now though he was staring her down as if by doing so she would vanish.

"W-what's wrong?" She'd asked. He only continued to look at her with his crushing gaze. It had always amazed her just how much he could say with a glance. It wasn't only anger, but frustration. "What did I do?"

"It's not always about you you know," he growled as he pushed his wet hair back from his forehead. His face was screwed up in concentration, as if he were mulling something over that made no sense. Amy stood fidgeting with the shirt she'd thrown on in the rush to catch up. She wound a hand into the bottom of it not really knowing what else to do.

"I don't understand."

"No surprise there," he cut in with a sneer. "Can't swim, can't fight off bullies, you can't even really play piano come to think of it. Can you even breathe without help?" He turned back to look at her to find her staring at him in awed silence. Her eyes gave way to his harsh words. It had been so long since he had been this way with her, and worse yet she didn't know why it came out all of a sudden. He saw the look in her face and almost as quickly as his anger had flared the tension in him left. "Come on; let's just to back before it rains on us both."

Vergil reached a hand out to her and she stepped away from him deliberately.

"I don't want to go with you," she whispered as a tear fell quickly from one eye. She quickly pushed it away.

"Don't be stupid, where else would you go?" Vergil asked smugly.

"Away from you," she said stubbornly.

Amy turned and began to walk down another pathway. She could feel his eyes on her back, no doubt an angry sneer as he shouted.

"Fine! I hope you get lost! Maybe then you'll learn!"

Amy continued to walk as the words rung in her ears. The problem was that despite his cruelty towards her and their obvious lack of a healthy friendship... Vergil was all she had now. There was no one left for her to connect to. Who are we without those around us? She stopped after a while to look back and felt her heart sink as Vergil had gone. She shouldn't have been surprised, but a part of her hoped he would still be standing there.

It was lonely without him as she walked about the forest. He knew these trails better than she did, but in a lot of ways she didn't care. Hadn't he wanted her to get lost? Even when the rain he had predicted began to fall she pressed on in no direction in particular. She was numb as she walked, drenched from head to toe but never really feeling the cold of it. Eventually she stopped and sat down amongst some trees, pulling her legs up and lowering her head to her crossed arms.

She was never really sure how much time passed. Hours judging by the darkness that met her eyes when she finally lifted her head again. She had somehow managed to fall asleep despite the rain, which had now stopped. Even if she had wanted to go back she was pretty sure she'd never find her way in the dark. She cried, but it was not for being lost. It was for the fact Vergil was probably back at the orphanage thinking _serves her right._

She could almost hear him too as she pulled her knees back to her chest and buried her face in her arms.

"Amy!"

Her head shot up. It was really him she was hearing. She stood, unsure really of what to do. He would probably be angry with her, because he was almost _always _angry with her. She felt like fleeing, finding someplace to hide until morning. She wasn't in the mood to deal with him yet after their fight, but as she took a few steps the twigs and leaves beneath her feet made noises that must've alerted him of her presence.

She could see him now, both of them dead stopped and looking at one another. He took a step and she turned to run for it. _I hate him and I'm mad at him._ She kept telling herself that, so when she felt him grab her arm she pushed him away.

"Let go!" She yelled at him, but his grip never loosened on her. He pulled her back and she closed her eyes waiting for the anger to come. "Vergil?" She whispered over his shoulder.

He had not yelled, but had pulled her into a one arm hug so strong she felt it hard to breathe. His other hand tight at her wrist.

"You stupid girl!" He growled into her shoulder. "I thought something had happened! If you weren't so damned stubborn all the time, but you just HAD to prove a point didn't you?" His other hand let go of her wrist and took its place around her.

She said nothing to this, too caught up in the situation to know what to say. He was every bit as soaked as she was, but she knew they couldn't be that far from the house. Had he even gone back to change? Or had he waited out of sight to save face?

"Let me go," she finally managed when the pressing of his chest against hers threatened to cut off her air supply. Almost reluctantly he did as she asked.

"I should slap you for doing that." he said as he pulled away. She half wondered if he would, but he only took her hand with an annoyed face. "Come on."

She didn't press him as to where they were going or even try to put up a fight. It seemed an odd situation, because she had never known Vergil to have emotions besides annoyance and anger. That hug though was neither despite his voice. It had warmed her by its protectiveness as well as its relief. He was glad to see she was alright...

Soon the lights from the house came into view and one of the adults stood on the porch ready to berate them both for being out so late. Amy barely heard her as she couldn't help but think strange thoughts. She chanced a look at Vergil, who stood determinedly staring at his lecturer as if his glare could make her disappear. His hand was still clasped tightly around Amy's and she suddenly felt very ill.

Once it was all over both were sent directly to their rooms. Amy somehow felt her chest tightening as she pulled off her wet clothes and put on some dry pajamas. She didn't know why the thought had suddenly hit her tonight, but she was thinking beyond now. To the idea of where would they go if adopted, or when they turned 18? The thought made her feel so utterly miserable that after she got in her bed she pulled the covers up so far to mask her face, even with the darkness of the room. She was there and still wide awake with worry when she heard familiar footsteps out in the hallway.

Almost like clockwork she reacted without hesitation to these sounds. They had been forbidden to go anywhere but their rooms, but this was their nightly ritual. One that no one could stop the flow of except themselves. Amy crossed the room quietly and opened the door.

Vergil was in the hallway waiting for her, his face stony as he saw her. His arms were crossed against his chest and he only turned when she closed the door to follow. When she had closed the music room door behind her she turned to see Vergil just standing there and looking back at her with a frown on his face. For a long time they stood only looking at one another. Mostly on her part because she didn't know what it was he wanted, but he was being so stubborn he wasn't saying a word. She couldn't take his stare any more.

"What have I done?" She finally asked him.

He continued to stare at her, almost as if trying to think of an adequate response to this. He didn't say anything though as he only looked away.

"I'm tired...," she whispered softly. She turned from him to go back to her room. If he was going to turn cold now then there was no point in even staying tonight. Her earlier thoughts gripped her chest. She half wondered what would happen to her if he remained angry with her. Who would be left for her then?

"Wait," Vergil finally said as she closed her hand on the door knob. "I...you can't go yet." His tone was unsure and it was this that made her turn around to look at him. He pulled from his pocket a few sheets of paper. "I need an audience."

Vergil turned from her to sit down at the piano, setting the paper upright within view. He began to play a slow and melancholic song she had never heard before. She walked slowly by him, peering over his shoulder to see the hand written sheet music.

"What's it called?" She asked absentmindedly.

"Dunno, haven't named it," he replied as he turned his head slightly to answer her.

Amy moved to sit on one of the chairs near the fireplace. She watched as the light from it lit shadows across his back, casting him in a spotlight she found too strange. It was almost as if someone was illuminating the subject of her exact thoughts.

In the darkness of the room a soft light suddenly bloomed into being. The bright fire in the grate played and danced along to the slow piano music. An electrical storm had begun, but Amy and Vergil had barely noticed it since coming into the room. After all, outside the room was reality, but in the confines of this room all time and reason seemed to cease existence.

"Stop humming." Vergil said as he played on the piano. Amy sat on one of the chairs by the fire, listening intently to him and humming along.

"I can't." She said simply, eyes closed, with her head leaning back into the chair. "I want to learn this song in my head so I can learn to play it on my own."

"You can't play it. It's my song." Vergil said, scowling at her.

"I know..." She said, looking up from her reverie to look at him. "That's why I want to learn it. For when... we have to go away from each other. To remember you by." Her words seemed to falter at this. Vergil stopped playing the piano with a miss-press of a key. He was half glaring, half wide eyed as he looked at her face. After a split second though, his face became normal and he began to play again.

"We'll be old enough to leave within a few years. Maybe you..." But he paused, unable to finish his thought. Amy stood from her chair and walked towards the window, gazing out onto the lawn as lightning crashed against the dark sky.

"What if we get separated?" She asked, putting a knee out to curl into the window sill as she often did. She tucked her nightdress around her, covering even her toes so she looked like a sack of white with a head poking out of it.

"That won't happen." He said in a low voice. Another loud crash and suddenly the sound of rain hit the windows.

"It's raining again." Amy said, her voice suddenly sounding gloomy as she bent her head to rest on her knees.

A long silence followed, except for the sound of the piano playing beneath Vergil's fingers. It was finally broken by Amy, humming along again. This time however, Vergil said nothing and only listened. Both seemed determined to not think of where they would be years from now, especially if it meant away from the familiarity of one another. They would leave that reality outside of the music room.

She was so very tired. Her head hurt her even with her eyes shut tightly to the room around her. She had been leaning on window sill for almost an hour now, but despite her want of sleep she just couldn't doze off. Her mind was still on Vergil, and the painful thought of their eventual abandonment of one another. It would happen eventually wouldn't it?

Somehow she had always thought that one day Vergil would somehow become different, and that they could be close always. The incident during the day though had begun to put doubts in her mind, and no matter how she tried she couldn't get rid of them. She couldn't spend the rest of her life walking on eggshells around him to keep his temper down, and if he chose to leave her behind out of anger she doubted there was anything she could do about it.

She had been listening to Vergil throughout the time leaning against the cool window. The song he was practicing put her at ease. It seemed to her that his song portrayed the way she wished he could be. Calm and gentle. It was comforting, like finding the phantom of your nightmares could love and see reason.

Somewhere in the midst of all her hectic thinking the music had stopped and she hadn't noticed at the time. She was too caught up in thinking what life would be like after she left this place. It was one of those moments where pure thought blocked out everything around you, and in her case she never heard the footsteps coming towards her.

She couldn't remember why, but when Vergil sat next to her on the padded sill she didn't react to him. A part of her was curious as to what he was doing. She was pretty sure he was going to shake her awake, and so she remained still with her eyes closed, waiting for it. She could hear the rustle of his clothing mixing with his breath. He took a deep sigh, moved slightly and she tried not to jump as she felt him take hold of the ends of her hair.

She was debating now on pretending to suddenly "awake" to this, but she stopped as he spoke.

"Stupid girl," he whispered softly. It was not harsh in any way, in fact it was almost endearing the way he said it. She could hear a faint smile in it and peeked through squinted eyes to see if he was actually smiling. Her eyesight was fuzzy, but her obstruction of view became apparent as Vergil's face was directly in front of hers. At the exact moment she noticed him she felt him kiss her.

It was soft enough that if she had really been asleep she would've never known he'd actually done it. Her mind went blank, all thoughts gone except the tingling he left behind on her lips when he pulled back. She managed to hold back a shiver as he touched her face with careful fingertips, but she could not stop the million questions his actions brought to the surface. She pretended to shift a bit to his touch because it was more purposeful than the kiss. His hand stopped and slowly fell away.

She chanced another look and saw him shaking his head with a hand over his face. He looked about as confused as she felt. For a long while he sat next to her so quietly that she was afraid he might be able to hear her heart thumping. She squeezed her eyes shut as he turned towards her again and took her hand.

He set to lifting her from the sill, pulling her up to lean her head against his shoulder. She faked a sigh and turned her face into his shirt so he hopefully couldn't see the red in her face. What she really wanted to do was clasp her arms about him in relief, but she thought better of it. No doubt Vergil would be angry that she had witnessed something so embarrassing.

He carried her out into the hall and up the stairs towards her room. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, and ask him. Yet she remained still in his arms, unsure whether or not he really cared to hear any of it.

That was always how it was with Vergil. Even now as she sat in the kitchen just under his bedroom she still had doubts about him. She could always find ways to explain his kind actions to fit into Vergil logic. He had probably carried her back so he wouldn't be caught when someone found her there the next morning. The kiss must've obviously been the product of the necklace, which she had come to find, could have this affect on him. It was a plot by a very old Devil using a lifetime of lies and broken people in an effort to kill Dante and Vergil.

Amy wrapped her arms about her self as a shiver went through her. It wasn't the cold, but the memory of the kiss they'd shared on the roof long after the necklace had been destroyed. That she could never account for. Sure, she had taken the chance, thinking she may never have it again, but he followed after her.

It was this single thread that had kept her sane in the years since. From the oddity of how her life fell back into normality without either brother around. How she felt when Dante had given her the news of Vergil's demise. Thinking of how she had lived every day since then in a dream like state where she wasn't a participant so much as a spectator.

Amy found some tea bags and decided it was better than nothing. Perhaps she could fall into the warm cup and somehow subdue her mind into going blank. It could've worked, if Vergil hadn't come into the kitchen.

When his eyes opened to pitch black Vergil silently cursed to the room. He was wide awake and it was glowing 4AM on the clock next to him. He groaned and turned over, but found all he could think of was the dryness in his mouth. That and the dream he had been having.

Amy never knew that he had stolen a kiss from her before the night in the clearing. It was the beginning of the end in his opinion, and eventually lead to their separation. Why he was suddenly remembering it NOW was completely beyond him. Perhaps their small discussion had triggered the memory, but it did nothing for his mood or his insomnia.

Unable to fall back asleep Vergil eased himself out of bed and headed downstairs. He would raid the fridge for something cool to drink and try sleep again once he had cleared his head. He noted with a frown that Lady was half falling off the couch snoring loudly as he passed. One leg slung over the back of it, while the other curled inward, her arm hanging over the side. He thought of how she had gotten Dante to take that picture of him and smiled wickedly at the possibilities for revenge her current position left open. He quickly pushed the thought away though as he saw the moonlight shimmer off of a gun she had partially concealed under her pillow.

Instead he opened the kitchen door, paused, and then quickly shut it. In the moment he had opened it he had seen Amy sitting at the table with a blank stare on her face. As soon as her face moved to look towards him though he had shut the door.

_Can't I ever escape her?! _He groaned as he swallowed to sooth his throat to no avail. He wasn't about to walk in there knowing it would lead to more interaction. She was dangerous when that mouth of hers opened. He had realized it today when she had come to his room, because despite his better judgment she had actually flustered him. She hadn't seen it of course, only what he hoped she perceived as the cold shoulder. When in fact he turned from her to hide the blush that burned in his face as he stared practically nose to nose with her. He hadn't been that close to her without the distraction of others for years. Not since he left her shivering on the roof of her building.

He pursed his lips as he took the steps two at a time, forgetting there was anything wrong with him. He entered the hallway bathroom and turned on the tap, splashing ice cold water over his face to stop the thoughts that her roof brought to his mind.

_Don't pull away..._

He squeezed his eyes shut to block the image out of his mind of her standing on her toes to press that heated kiss to his lips. God how he had almost lost it whenever she touched him, and how he had stupidly never been able to stop himself from WANTING to touch her. It was some psychological thing where he tormented himself by not touching what he knew he could not have. Could not, and should not have.

This time though the years of pent up repression had been so many more in comparison to when he last saw her. He almost felt like a child who had been denied something special, and had become less and less patient the longer he waited. Perhaps in his darkest of times he had imagined coming back to her. It was only to be a thought though, and he knew it. Well, at least his brain knew it.

He glowered at himself in the mirror.

"Be strong, don't be weak. You are a son of Sparda, a devil, and beholden to no one."

He pulled himself from the mirror after several long moments of repeating this in his head. He was the son of Sparda, and if anything she was the one who should be feeling angst about him. Not the other way around.

He decided to go back to his room. He had gulped down a few handfuls of water, and yet he wasn't satisfied. It would have to do though. As he walked towards his door however he noticed something was off.

The first thing that was off about his room when he entered was the door being slightly ajar. Second, his bedroom light was on. It wasn't until he entered the room and stood looking around that he noticed the third and most noticeable of changes. A mug of something steamy was sitting on his night stand.

Vergil looked around again, but no one was there. Then as he neared he smelled a familiar scent with a furrow of his brow. He looked down at the cup and almost felt himself give way to a chuckle. A word was flashing through his mind as he stared at the steaming cup.

_Truce..._

It was a peace offering, or at least Amy's version of one. Maybe she had brought it in hopes of a reason to see him, but had left it just the same when she found the room empty. He had to admit it was a step in the right direction, because it told him that she was willing to give him his space. He reached long fingers out to touch the cup but pulled them away with a frustrated groan.

_Don't let her get to you. _

Trouble was he was considering going back downstairs. The idea surprised him enough that he had to sit down a moment to mull it all over in his head. Under no circumstances should be go downstairs. This was all a ploy on her part to get him to do exactly this. He knew it and yet the compulsion was still there. He sighed again as he finally let his fingers close over the top of the mug which had cooled enough.

Now though for whatever reason he thought of the look on her face when he had entered the kitchen. The one she had before she realized he was there. Several times now over the years he had caught similar looks in her eyes, but this one had been slightly different. A very quiet thoughtfulness that was truly devoid of life. The quiet Amy that he had never really known.

He took a long drink and found, surprisingly enough, it quenched the thirst that had woken him. _Evil girl... _He bit his lip and squeezed the mug as the images of the dream flashed through his mind.

_You'll regret this... _He internally berated himself as he stood slowly with the mug now fully in his hand. It wasn't like going down would change anything, and if she annoyed him he had use of his legs enough to leave her sitting there.

Vergil could never explain his compulsions when it came to her and he was too tired to even try now as he went, yet again, back to the kitchen.

She was still there when he opened the door and for a brief moment he could see that same blank expression in her eyes as she stared at nothing at all, fingering her mug idly. As Amy looked up at him though it was almost as if she came to life. Her dull eyes opened, her back straightened and her shoulders squared.

He stepped into the kitchen but didn't know much else of why it was he had come down. The mug in his hand was still half full, so he couldn't pretend as if he wanted to put it away. She was staring at him now with questioning eyes, too wide for their own good.

"Want some more?" She finally asked. He considered it and nodded. "Sit down and I'll get it."

_Clever girl._

"I'll stand," he replied. He wouldn't fall for that. If he sat down he would be trapped for sure.

"Suit yourself,"

He handed her the cup and watched as she walked over to the stove to add some more into it. She calmly walked back over and sat it on the table across from where she sat. He narrowed his eyes and picked the cup up, opting to walk over to lean against the wall. Distance was good.

"So, what brings you downstairs?" She asked as she sipped at her own cup, eyes peaking beneath lashes to examine him.

"I should ask you the same."

"Me? I uh, had a bad dream," she said as her eyes quickly looked away from him for a split second and then found him again. "Needed some air."

He sipped the cup to avoid having to reply, staring at his own reflection in the warm tea. He thought on his own dream and had an odd feeling of de ja vu. Hadn't this been how they originally had met? Both woken by dreams that drove them out of their beds and crash landing into one another.

"You feeling OK?" She suddenly asked. He turned his gaze on her.

"I'm fine."

"You sure you don't want to sit? Dante would bitch me out if he thought I was hindering your recovery."

"I sit practically all day long. I prefer to stand whenever I can manage it," he said bitterly. He had no issues with being locked away in the room, as he had always been an introverted person. But one thing he was not was lazy, or idle. He was normally active and rarely stayed put long enough to get "comfortable". He felt less like a warrior and more like a house pet who only slept and ate all day long.

She nodded, looking elsewhere. It was getting awkward just standing there waiting for someone to do something. He was still trying to figure out why he felt the need to come down in the first place.

"Can I ask you something?" Amy asked setting her cup aside. He gestured with his hand for her to go ahead as he took another scalding sip. Perhaps if he burned his mouth badly enough he wouldn't be able to talk anymore.

"Where have you been all this time?" She asked in a tone far too innocent to be genuine. He almost choked on the tea in his mouth and glared at her in return. The question had come a lot sooner than he expected considering how much everyone had been skirting asking him such questions. Not Amy though. She always asked him the obvious questions without much fear of his reaction. Even if he told her to let it alone, she'd just find another way of asking him something else he most likely did not want to answer.

He weighed his answer carefully. The first reply that came to mind was "_None of your business"_, but somehow he knew that wasn't correct. It had been his fault for giving the girl hopes all those years ago, and then again hadn't he told her to forget him?

"Perhaps one day I'll tell you," he said instead suddenly pretending to be fascinated by a picture hanging on the wall of a bowl of fruit. "And you?"

"Me what?" She asked. _Damnable small talk._

"Anything worth noting since I saw you last?"

She watched him closely as a sly smile crept slowly onto her face making her eyes sparkle playfully.

"Perhaps one day I'll tell you," she replied. He gave her a dull look with a lift of his eyebrow obviously walking right into that one but he would never admit it.

"Well then, it's obvious we have nothing to say to one another so..."

"Then why did you come back down?" Amy asked cutting in. He paused with his mouth partially opened. Why had he come down again?

"That is, I wanted to..."

"You're welcome," she said taking another sip from her mug.

"That is NOT why I came down here," he said setting his mug down hard on the table. She didn't even blink an eye at his sudden movements. "I told you I couldn't sleep. It's not my fault you've hogged the room I was heading for."

"Ok then, let's go," she said coolly as she stood from her seat.

"Go? What do you mean go?"

"You said you couldn't sleep, so I'll give you something to take your mind off it."

He took a step back as she crossed past him to the door and when he didn't follow she turned to look at him.

"You coming?" She asked.

"I'm not sure I want to," he replied through suspicious eyes.

"I'm not going to attack you," she laughed. "Would it interest you if I said following me now would piss Dante off?"

Vergil followed behind Amy with slight anticipation. If it would piss Dante off then he was game. Especially after all the failed attempts at training where Vergil ended up flat on his back and Dante grinned like he just won an award. _Biggest asshole in the Universe award..._

He half wondered what "it" was that Amy could get away with and still manage to tick his brother off. Vergil had to marvel though at the extra rooms on the second floor that had gone unexplored till now. All of them probably empty and filled with cobwebs, but useful for someone like Dante who on occasion would take in people connected with various jobs. Lady and Trish being proof you can never have too many rooms.

"Ok, I'm going to need your help here." Amy said as she stopped in the middle of the hallway up on the second floor. She pointed up towards the ceiling and Vergil just made out a small finger sized ring. "Dante knows I'm too short to reach it, but he's just the right height," she grinned up at Vergil. "Which means so are _you."_

He reached his hand up to pull on the ring and shortly after a ladder followed.

"I didn't know there was a third floor." Vergil said as he stared up into the square cut out above him. Amy had grabbed a flashlight from the utility closet and was already crawling her way up.

"Well, Dante doesn't want people to know there is. This is where he keeps his porn stash," she said with a laugh. "I'm only kidding," she added when Vergil stepped away from the ladder.

Eventually he made his way up to find the opposite of what he thought would be up there. It was a large attic devoid of dust, cobwebs, or even... stuff. Only a few boxes set in specific areas, old weaponry hanging from the walls, and a large something covered by a sheet.

"Wow, I can see why this is so entertaining," Vergil said sarcastically. Amy sighed and rolled her eyes at him before walking over and pulling the sheet off the "something". He shut up immediately.

"Couldn't believe my luck. I was passing through and caught a newspaper article about the house being foreclosed on and all the furniture was being auctioned. I took a gamble and got this." Amy said as she pressed a finger down onto the piano key of the same old piano they used as kids.

"Of course it was in poor condition, but I saved enough to at least get it working again. Although with the piano you left me I had no place to go with it, so I asked Dante to keep and eye on it for me. Perhaps I was hoping he'd pick it up like you did, but alas..."

Vergil closed him mouth, catching himself staring at the old piano as if he had seen a ghost. In a way though he had. Amy moved back and motioned for him to come over. He didn't budge though.

"Well, I figured that if you couldn't sleep that being as tall as you are you could come up here and vent with this. Keep Dante up all night long." Amy continued with a smirk. She looked uncomfortable by his silence, but he didn't really know what to say. It was no different then when he saw those visions of her just as he had remembered her that came to him even as he vowed to kill her.

After a long moment Amy moved to head back down.

"Wait." Vergil finally said finding his voice long enough to look away from the piano. She turned to look at him. "The house... what happened to it?"

"Originally the bank was going to sell the land and bulldoze the house, but some psychotic loon of a girl managed to round up enough support to get the old building considered a historical landmark. It lay empty for a while until it was purchased for restoration and is now used as a school. I hear it's doing very well." Amy replied with a mischievous smile on her face. She turned without another word, but again he stopped her. "Yes Vergil?"

"Goodnight," he finally said after a long pause.

"Goodnight Vergil." Amy replied before ducking down out of his line of sight. At the bottom she leaned against the ladder with a smile. He hadn't denied that it was him who had sent her that piano. Feeling somewhat content Amy walked back to her room, smiling when a small tinkle of piano keys could be heard from above.


	7. Let You Down

**Forgive me you guys! I didn't mean to take THIS long in updating, but you see I FINALLY got a PS3! So I've been playing DMC4 like crazy and my writing has suffered greatly for it...lol Awesome game, btw, and I love Nero! lol I'm about to start mission 13, which has... Dante! We'll see how this goes after playing 11 missions with Nero's Devil Bringer and now not having it anymore. Eeek!**

**Also, a few notes for you. I have not read The Divine Comedy so I'm winging it with the notes I was able to find online. I should probably read it now though, knowing more of what it is. So if you have read it and something seems off then feel free to tell me and I'll fix it...lol**

**Fourteen pages worth of a chapter! Hopefully you guys will think it worth the wait. :) I hope you do, I tried REALLY REALLY hard this time! Gah! -covers eyes and hopes for the best-**

**As always R&R if possible. Feedback always helps in forming of my stories!**

* * *

**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 7**

Things became civil in the household after the events of a night Vergil deemed as a turning point in his recovery. The final week with Amy, while not exactly warm and friendly was at least the calm after a raging storm.

He would allow her to talk to him, although he himself didn't talk a whole lot in return. He found she could have a very one sided conversation without much help. Before they knew it the week was out and Amy was heading back home. He had been surprised when she moved to hug him, but at the last moment tapped his shoulder with her hand instead. He watched her hug Dante and rolled his eyes as Dante exaggerated just how wonderful it felt. _Moron..._

If he believed that would be the end though he was sorely mistaken. She called every couple of days and on occasion would ask to talk with him. He declined the phone calls, but internally couldn't help but appreciate her determination.

"She wanted to know how your recovery is progressing. I think she's hoping for a rematch" Dante said with a grin as he eyed Vergil.

The truth was that Vergil was more determined than ever to get back his health. The fatigue and odd depression that gripped him previously did not rear its ugly head like it once did. During the day he worked hard both on his own and with Dante at getting his strength back. He left the shop to run extensively to make sure his legs were in working order. At night he would sit up in the attic just staring at the old piano. He was trying to figure out why the old piece of junk put him at ease. He did not play though, knowing if he did he may never get to sleep. Nothing, not even the mystery of the piano, would sway him from getting better.

It was as if he was preparing for something, yet he did not know what exactly. Months passed and he settled into a routine. He was up before dawn for a run before pulling Dante from his bed to spar off before a large breakfast.

"Not today! It's SATURDAY!" Dante harped as he actually clung to Trish so Vergil couldn't pull him off the bed.

"I won't hesitate to pull her along," Vergil warned as he held the back of Dante's night shirt. Dante gave a frustrated whimper against Trish's back and Vergil could hear a slight laugh coming from Trish.

"Traitor!" Dante gasped as he pulled himself up on his elbow to glare down at Trish's supposedly sleeping form. He laid a hand into her side and she jumped to move away as he hit her ticklish spot. With her moving it left nothing for Dante to hold onto and Vergil gave a great yank. Dante fell off the bed to the floor. "Vergil! You moron!"

Vergil just grinned down at Dante from above. He found with the wear of time that Dante was becoming less of an annoyance. Slowly he had slipped and allowed himself to be sucked into a brotherly spat that usually ended with Vergil wondering why he had even tried and Dante grinning up a storm.

_We're becoming close_... Vergil thought at he watched Dante make to crawl back into the bed. Vergil placed his boot on the small piece of pant trailing off Dante's ankle. It prevented him from standing.

"I'm going to kill you Vergil, I swear!" Dante growled as he turned to move the foot away.

"You took me in and swore to help me recover. You have no one but yourself to blame." Vergil replied in a bland tone that did not connect to the amusement in his eyes.

"But I WANT to sleep! I was up until only a few hours ago fighting demons! I'm exhausted!" Dante whined as he slammed his head onto the mattress and made another feeble attempt to crawl back in.

"Video game demons do not count Dante."

"Hey, YOU try getting past the boss in mission two! It's nearly impossible even with full health and the special blade."

Vergil just stared at him without sympathy, so Dante turned to Trish who was sitting on the edge of the bed watching them amused. His eyes pleaded with her to find some excuse to let him go back to bed.

"How about you spar against me today?" She asked as she stood to grab some clothes out of the drawer.

Both Dante and Vergil looked at her in disbelief. _Is she crazy?_

"I don't think so," Dante and Vergil said simultaneously. Trish turned and smirked at them.

"You afraid I'll beat you Vergil?"

Her tone was an outright challenge and Vergil glared openly to show his disdain for the woman. She did not falter though because she knew eventually the two of them would have to come to a head. Vergil seemed to become set and almost comfortable in his life in Devil May Cry, and so possibly now would be the time to begin breaching the past he had tried so hard to keep hidden. She would have to be careful though, as he was stronger than he once was and showed no signs of yielding on his opinion of her.

"Alright then," Vergil said, suddenly changing his mind.

"What?! No, no, NO!" Dante said as he pulled his pant leg free and stood to block her from Vergil's view. "There will be no sparring between you two."

"It's her choice Dante, and after all you can go back to sleep." Vergil said. Dante glared up at him.

"I will get dressed and meet you down in the gym."

"Hold on there Dante. I can handle myself." Trish said with a bit of bite as she crossed her arms. Dante stared pointedly at Vergil, who took the hint and vacated the room with an impatient sigh.

"Yes, I know you can handle yourself, but Vergil will not care about that. You know there is still tension left between you and I can't help but feel like he wouldn't play it as just sparring."

"You have no faith in him after all this time?" Trish asked surprised.

"It has nothing to do with faith. I KNOW my brother, and it's his temper I don't trust. You've never seen him when he's out of control."

"He will never get over this thing until I'm aloud to spend some time with him. I can't get him to look at me or even acknowledge me any other time."

"It doesn't matter what Vergil thinks of you!" Dante groaned.

"It DOES matter. He's your brother and that alone makes it well worth the effort to..."

Dante quite literally jumped on her, lifting her up over his shoulder and hugging her hip.

"You love me don't you?" Dante asked with a grin.

"You ass, put me down! I'll electrocute you, I swear!"

"Admit it." Dante demanded. "I won't let you down till you do."

Trish reached down, grabbed a hold of his butt and let a charge go.

"OW!" Dante half yelled, half laughed before dropping her onto the bed and straddling her. He pinned her hands beneath pillows to prevent any more electrical foreplay. "Since when did you become such a masochist?

"Stop trying to change the subject!" Trish yelled up at him, trying to stifle a laugh.

"I'm not, just trying to lean it in my favor."

Dante leaned down closer to her face and nuzzled her nose affectionately.

"I'll bite you," she challenged through narrowed eyes.

"You love me right?" He asked again. Trish huffed, turning her face to the side to glare at the headboard.

"Sometimes," she replied turning only her eyes to peer at him as she kept her face turned to the side. Dante chuckled and kissed her cheek.

"And right now?"

"I told you, I want to bite you."

He settled himself full on her and laid his head against her chest. He let go of her arms and just pretended as if he was going to go back to sleep on her.

"Bite away," he yawned lazily as his hand grabbed for the blanket to pull it back towards them.

"Vergil is waiting," Trish said trying to hold in a laugh, smacking him on the arm when he didn't budge.

"Let him wait, he can think we're fighting or something while we take a short catnap."

"Dante! We're going to settle this whether you want to or not."

"No, we're going back to bed." Dante replied as he finally pulled the covers up over his head and peaked up at her from under them. She sat up a bit on her elbows to look down at the great fluffy lump that was Dante, with only his face visible as he stared tiredly up at her.

"If you're so tired then perhaps I should go down to Vergil," she said with a wicked grin. His eyes narrowed as his body slumped in a defeated way.

"You're not going to let up on this, are you?" He growled at her. She leaned back on her elbows and watched him with adoring eyes, cocking her head to the side.

"Do I ever?" She replied as she pushed a strand of hair away that had gotten tangled in his eyelash. Dante forced his face down into her abdomen, causing her to protest loudly as he made a frustrated noise that reverberated into her stomach. He growled deep in his throat before he tossed the covers off and stood up.

"I'm going down," he sighed as he pulled on a tank top and jeans. Trish sat up, but Dante grabbed her legs and swung them onto the bed.

"HEY!"

He lifted the blanket and tossed it over her.

"You stay here. If I see you so much as look at the gym door...," he let his words trail off leaving open endless possibilities as he went towards the door. Before he closed it behind him he poked his head back in. "I will get you to admit you love me before the day is out."

Trish picked up a pillow and threw it at him. He closed the door just in time to hear the thud of the pillow on the other side

--

The oddest part about Vergil's recovery was that his feelings towards his brother slowly changed without him knowing it. Vergil was regaining his strength and was coming back into the role of the older and more dominant of the twins. Dante too fell back into his role as the little brother he could pick on who would whine like a two year old and stalk off all huffy. Despite his feelings months earlier that he would leave once he was better, Vergil found he didn't want to think on that day just yet.

He had his strength, was walking and running just as good as he once had. Only thing that had not yet returned was his ability to go into his devil form. Any attempts failed miserably, and to Dante's amusement had left Vergil with blue skin for a few hours after his first attempt. Karma came in the form of a big, black spider finding its way into Dante's shower.

Games... somewhere along the lines they had began acting like twins. They would play practical jokes to get back at one another. Dante was the worst, because he had taken to wandering around wherever Vergil went. Joining him for jogs, swearing he went in case Vergil should get winded. On one occasion Vergil barely noticed when Dante leaned over the back of the couch Vergil was on reading a book. Dante had leaned over to read the book over his shoulder.

He had been reading The Divine Comedy, a book given to him by Lady when all he could find amongst Dante's belongings was motorcycle and nude magazines. He had always avoided the book purely because he had heard of Dante's Inferno and the eerily similar namesakes of the two main characters who explored hell together. Virgil and Dante. He had thought Lady had given it to him to teach him some hidden message, but actually reading it he found he enjoyed it. Especially the beginning of how it was Virgil who saved Dante from sin. _Intriguing._

"Damn, and here I thought Dante was going to be the cool one. I mean, he friggin FAINTED!" Dante scoffed as Vergil turned the page, finally able to tear himself away from the book to notice his brother leaning over his shoulder to his left. "It _is_ called _Dante's_ inferno right?"

Vergil had only smirked at the book and continued to read, ignoring his twin as he embarked on the journey alongside the two. He moved to switch the page though Dante stopped him.

"I'm not finished reading that page yet!"

Vergil turned to look at him annoyed, but Dante only continued to look at the page apparently as enthralled with it as he was, his mouth lipping the words silently.

"You can read it when I finish." Vergil began.

"Shhhh, I'm almost done," he interrupted waving his hand as he hurriedly devoured the last few sentences. "Ok, turn it."

Vergil grimaced at his brother, but didn't feel like arguing further.

"Keep at my pace or you'll be left behind."

Spending time with Dante wasn't so bad actually. Vergil enjoyed sparring with him, and even on occasion talking with him. It was so strange and yet he had been so eased since he had begun to allow himself to relax. He knew though that once he got his devil trigger again he would no longer be welcome in this place and somehow he felt a bit of sadness at this.

He saw his brother's world and couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. That was an emotion he hadn't known since he was a child, and even then it had been towards Dante. The attention Dante got from their mother, especially his ability to make the woman smile even when it seemed she might never again. Even Lady, who seemed hell-bent on beating him most of the time, found ease enough to laugh in his company. Vergil had wondered how you could show such dislike for someone and yet still be considered a friend.

He had begun to think on this more and more lately though. Something was nagging at the back of his mind. A long forgotten promise made to his brother.

_I promise to come back for you, no matter what happens OK?_

He was so different now from that child. Almost unrecognizable in looks and in personality, but hadn't that been his intention from the very beginning? From the moment he had taken up his sword against his long lost brother. Substituting words of relief at finding him alive with cold ones drenched in blood. Oh yes, it had been so easy to kill the human inside of him and sell his soul to the devil. It was the easy way after all... So easy back then, not so easy now he had to face up to it.

He had two options at this point. To go his own way, which was paved by solitude and no real purpose, or to swallow his pride and finally tell Dante the truth. The truth of the great lie that had been the entire basis of his life.

--

Vergil was finishing up the book by himself later that evening. Dante had begged for the afternoon off saying he would make it up to Vergil if things went well. Vergil didn't know exactly what he was referring to but was feeling in a decent mood and let Dante off the hook. He was close to the end of the book when Dante came in through the front door.

"Verge great news! HEY!" Dante stopped mid sentence. "Dude, you're reading it without me!"

"On the contrary," Vergil began as he snapped the book shut "I have finished it without you."

"That is so not cool! How am I going to find out how it ends?!" He growled as he stomped over to the couch.

"Try reading it yourself." Vergil replied standing up and tossing the book to Dante. He caught it with a scowl. "You said you had some good news?"

"I don't think you deserve it now," he grumbled as he let his hand fall limp with the book still in it.

"Stop pouting." Vergil mused.

"Shut up!

Vergil only crossed his arms and stared at Dante.

"I WAS going to say I had a job you could help out with, but if you're going to be such a cocky bastard then maybe it's too soon for you to start fighting again."

Vergil's interest was piqued. He had been looking for an opportunity to really fight. He half wondered if his inability to change form was due to lack of need. He never changed unless it was absolutely necessary, and fighting against Dante as of late hadn't warranted it. If he could fight against an actual adversary then perhaps the ability would return to him.

"What is the job in question?" Vergil asked. Dante though stood tight lipped and opened the book to continue reading by himself. "Are you really so upset over a book?"

On the other side of the room Dante ignored his twin. Yes, he was really mad but not at the book. For months now he had caught small glimpses of his brother, or at least the brother Vergil could be if he wasn't such an ass. It shouldn't have mattered really, but reading the damnable book over Vergil's shoulder had been a bonding experience even if Vergil didn't see it that way. He could sit and ask Vergil questions and Vergil would sigh and have no choice but to answer him if he wanted to get to the next page.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Vergil walking away and jumped to stop him.

"Oh, are you talking to me now?" Vergil asked as Dante grabbed hold of his elbow.

"Old hotel. Reports of demonic activities. I got a special tip though from Narc that something much larger has been hanging around." Dante started with a roll of his eye.

"Hotel?"

"It's run down and practically on its last leg. It wouldn't be such an issue except some kids went missing. You know how it goes. Kids hear of spooky place and dare each other to stay the night..."

"Which if said place is actually home to something nasty it puts teens in peril. I think I've seen that movie." Vergil continued.

"Have you ever even seen a movie?!" Dante asked with a smirk. Vergil rolled his eyes before staring pointedly at Dante. "I know I'm beautiful, but staring is rude Vergil."

"I was just admiring your widow's peak." Vergil deadpanned before turning to enter the kitchen. Dante lifted his hand to his hairline and scowled at his brother's back, stopping to check a mirror before following after him.

"I figure you, Trish and myself go check it out."

"You want to bring _her_ along do you?" Vergil asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. He leaned against the counter.

"Yes, I want to bring _Trish_ along with us. She is killer in combat and I couldn't ask for a better partner watching my back. Lady can hang around here. She's been asking for a night off, and maybe then Narc can convince her to go out with him." Dante smirked as he imitated his brother's stance, except leaning against the wall opposite Vergil.

"I suppose I have no choice in the matter."

"Sucks doesn't it? Grin and bear it bro." Dante replied with a wink and a grin.

--

Vergil was deadly silent the whole hours long drive to the place known as the Sunset Hotel. The tension in the car, with Trish and Vergil in such close quarters was so thick Dante felt he might break rebellion if he tried to slice it. So rather he took his own advice. Grin and bear it.

The Sunset Hotel was one of those picturesque monstrosities that sat up away from civilization. The kind of place people once went for their summer vacations to escape the 9 to 5 grind of the city. Now it was more reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel straight from the The Shining. Except no one dared oversee its caretaking, leaving it dead and hollow looking.

The outside of it had graffiti, broken windows, as well as litter lining the once vast and beautiful landscape. A semi dry fountain sat just outside the doorway with beer cans, leaves and garbage floating just on the surface of the dirty water that had only remained from rain. It was proper breeding ground for demon nests, and quite possibly that "something larger" Narc had mentioned.

"We're here!" Dante chimed. He could almost sense the static electricity coming off of Trish and decided perhaps trying to get these two to settle was pointless.

Vergil got out of the car without a word, the tension seemingly leaving with him. Dante had noticed that Vergil had been in a rather foul mood on and off for quite a while. Whenever Vergil didn't think anyone was looking Dante could see him concentrating hard on some thought. It wasn't like Dante hadn't considered that shortly his brother would be practically scrambling to flee from him, but he had hoped the months spent together had at least made Vergil want to remain with him. He wanted to let Vergil know he could stay even after he recovered, but he was still too embedded in the past to think Vergil would do anything but laugh.

It had occurred to him that maybe if he showed his brother the inner workings of his life, between the everyday and the hunter side of it that possibly Vergil would come around. Tonight was almost like an initiation to see whether or not Vergil could find a place by his side.

Dante gave a begging look at Trish who only sighed, looking directly up at the hotel. The two followed suit after Vergil.

"Apparently Narc has some wrong information." Dante said with a hint of disappointment.

Dante turned to survey his brother, and despite the lack of danger Vergil's hand was on the hilt of Yamato. They had thought the sword gone, but Amparo had sent it to them a month ago saying she found it along the banks of Mallet while she was searching for ingredients. The minute Vergil had it back in his possession he barely let it out of his sight, almost as if he'd gone months without his arms only to have it reappear one day. So he continued to fidget with it just to make sure it was really there and in working order. Dante could understand of course, not knowing what he would do without his own blade and custom guns. Weapons could be companions as much as people could in this line of business. Sometimes you were only as strong as the weapon between yourself and your enemies.

"You feel it too?" Vergil asked. "Or should I say, don't feel it."

There were demons here, but the promise of something larger had either been a lie, or it had since moved elsewhere. Neither man sensed anything but lesser demons possibly patrolling the halls for teens dumb enough to challenge each other. Almost as if on cue they suddenly heard a very loud and high pitched scream come from within.

"You said you've seen this movie right Vergil? How does it end?" Dante beamed over at his brother.

"If every actor dies that's usually satisfying enough for me." He replied as he pulled his blade from his side.

"C'mon, you know the answer to this! The hero comes in and saves the day!"

"That is far too optimistic for my tastes." Vergil said as he moved to enter. Dante got their first and to Vergil's displeasure kicked the front door in.

"Why don't you announce to them we're coming?"

Dante shrugged.

"HEY DEMONS! WE'RE COMING! SO YOU HAD BETTER BRING IT BITCHES!"

Vergil smacked him upside the head and hissed at him to be quiet. Dante tried to mouth _but you told me to_, but Vergil just walked off. Trish smirked and walked past him to follow and finally Dante trailed after.

More screams filled the place and were getting closer the further in they went. They went down long, filthy and dilapidated corridors, following the sound to some double doors. Vergil stared venomously at Dante as he made to kick the door in.

"You have a better idea?" Dante growled.

"Try using the doorknob... you doorknob."

Trish grasped onto it and turned without any luck. "It's locked," she said as she looked at the other two. More screams came from within as Dante glared at his brother.

"Fine!" Vergil sighed as he watched his brother kick the door in with boyish glee. The room that opened before them was large with vaulted ceilings and several off white pillars set around the room. A few of them were actually on the ground, having fallen or been torn down years ago. What they had thought to find wasn't what met their sight.

A girl was tied down by her arms and legs, lying across a table. Her clothing, skin and hair were filthy and despite this she looked perfectly healthy. Dante looked at Vergil perplexed as Trish moved forward to help the girl.

"It's all right," Trish said soothingly as the girl nearly had a heart attack at being touched. Trish felt a wave of anger at whatever could do this to another living thing. The girl was clearly traumatized to the point she began to dry heave over the stress of her sudden panic attack. Her eyes widened and she was whispering gibberish. Trish looked over her shoulder to see Vergil and Dante keeping a look out. Then the girl screamed again and when Trish turned to look she was met face to face with a black eyed demon. Its skin was oily and fire bright red. It hunched forward on arms that were overly long, but Trish realized they weren't long. The arms were proportionate to the rest of it, but the fingers went on to sharpened nails that dragged along the ground. They made a shrieking noise as the scraped against the stone floor, and then the creature switched to balancing itself on them to get a better look at her. The fangs were largest on the bottom, with two sharp and razor fine ones protruding from its jowls as it stared at her with its dead eyes. It didn't move, only continued to stare at her before opening its mouth wide and screaming in her face.

It leapt forward with its long claws outstretched, but Trish leaned back, doing a back handspring and clipping the creature under the jaw with her boots. It went flying over her head in the direction of Dante and Vergil.

"Nice form babe." Dante said impressed. Trish got back to her feet and gave him a wink.

"You keep them busy while I get her out of here."

"You ready for this Vergil?" Dante asked after he had made sure Trish had a clear pathway to take the girl.

"Guess we'll find out." Vergil growled back with a look of determination as well as anticipation in his eyes.

It was at this time that the creatures came out of the woodwork. The one Trish had kicked must've alerted the others to their presence with its loud screeching scream.

They jumped from the second floor balcony that ran the length of the circular room. Some crawled while others walked on those claws and screamed their way down the once beautiful staircase that was now rotting with decay. They slid down columns all for a better look at the intruders and possibly a taste of carnage. Those of course Dante and Vergil were more than obliging to give.

It was far too easy... A flash of his blade, a cry in the night filled Vergil's ears as if it were beautiful music. Each demon part of an orchestra, and he their conductor with the fluid movement of his blade this way, and that. Leading them further to a heightened crescendo that made him involuntary shiver. He hadn't felt this way in such a long time. He was seized by the feeling of purpose for the first time in years and he loved every minute of it.

"Not doing too bad for an invalid." Dante chimed as he spun in place, knocking four different creatures from him with a loud whooping holler.

Vergil gave a satisfied grin as he glided forward with deadly accuracy and slashed his enemy away from him, sending the creature flying directly at his brother.

"Batter up!" Dante growled as he held his sword like a baseball bat. Rather than sending it flying back at his twin the blade caused the creature to explode, drenching Dante in a nasty smelling black substance. "Awww man!"

"I believe that's a foul." Vergil mused.

"It's foul all right."

"Can you even make it through a fight without getting dirty?" Vergil asked distastefully as he came closer to his brother.

"HA! It's not a good fight unless you get a little dirty Verge." Dante replied as he reached a filthy hand out to pat Vergil's shoulder.

"Touch me and die." Vergil growled, lifting his sword to keep Dante at a distance. He then swung around and sliced at a demon that had been creeping up on him from behind.

Dante shrugged his own arms and joined in the skirmish, taking his annoyance at being covered in the black substance out on anything that moved to strike at him. All the while he couldn't help but feel a twinge of happiness. They hadn't fought side by side since Arkham and that had felt simply amazing. Now though at least, Dante didn't have to worry about how he would handle Vergil afterwards. They would be leaving this place together, both of them contented by the thrill of battle.

Dante shot several rounds into a black shape that seemed to bounce higher with every bullet that passed into it. He let out another roaring whoop as he watched Vergil come out of nowhere and drive a good million stabs into it. _Good... _Vergil was enjoying himself and Dante felt contentment at that alone.

The enemies were slowing in their paces, and soon only Dante was still toying with some creature that crawled desperately to get away, both of its legs having been severed at the knee.

Vergil stood back, took a piece of cloth from his coat pocket and began to clean his blade as he eyed his brother who was taunting the demon.

"Where you think you're going?" Dante smirked as he walked slowly beside his prey as it crawled. He kicked it over so it lay on its back, and bloody fangs hissed up at him before it spat defiantly at him. Dante was surprised the creature could spit so far, and wiped his face with a hard look.

"You will pay," the creature hissed at him.

"Don't we always?" Dante asked in turn.

"Dante, stop playing with it and finish the job." Vergil called as he sheathed his sword. Dante waved him away over his shoulder and continued to stalk the thing. It was then that Vergil realized other movement in the room. His first thought was possibly Trish had returned, but the movement was higher up. He glanced to his right as he heard the smallest piece of marble hit the floor.

"Dante!" Vergil yelled as the marble pillar fell forward. Dante's grin faded as he turned just in time to see it coming towards him. He moved to get out of the way, but fell forward to meet the dirty floor instead. Behind him something was grasping at his ankle, bloody teeth grinning as the creature held him in place determined to take Dante with him. Understanding dawned on Dante's face as he kicked at the creature, but it was too late. The beam came down with enough force Dante was sure no creature could survive.

Right before it hit he felt a solid body hit him from the side. Trish appeared out of nowhere and slid into him, kicking him hard in the ribs before he was pushed out of the way. Horror filled his eyes as he realized what she was doing. He began to cry out to her when he realized the beam was no longer falling, but suspended in mid air inches above Trish's hard breathing body.

Dante turned and watched in awe as Vergil's demon form held the full weight of the pillar from falling on Trish. Dante stood quickly and changed form to help his brother hold the weight while Trish scurried clear before letting it drop to the side. Vergil fell to his knees completely exhausted and Dante knelt beside him.

"Vergil... I,"

Thank you was somewhere on the tip of his tongue, but Vergil didn't give him time to say it. He quickly stood and ran up the stairs leading to the second floor.

"HEY!" Dante called after him, but he didn't stop. That pillar hadn't been knocked loose, but pushed. Vergil had seen a human figure standing up on the second floor when it began to move. He bounded up and stood looking around for any signs of the figure. Perched in the window at the end of a hallway was someone.

Vergil walked determinedly towards it, ready to reach out and grab them before they could escape. His hand reached out for the shoulder and it was in the moonlight streaming through the window he saw the silver white hair before the face turned to gaze stonily back at his. Vergil actually started, stepping back as he gazed upon a face he had seen only once before. The night he had been struck unconscious by the thing that had once called itself Amy's father. What no one had known though was it was not the same face he eventually showed them, but Vergil's own face he had used that night. He had thought it a delusion of his younger self brought on by the vile poison working its way into his system. He had always just brushed it off as nothing more.

Yet here he was again, staring at himself and even making physical contact with it when he grabbed it. His younger self smiled at him, the way Vergil had never smiled before letting itself fall out of the window. He moved forward, but nothing was there when he looked down. He searched wildly around but there were no signs of anyone. Vergil stared up at the overcast sky and scowled in thought thinking he didn't believe what he had just seen. Joseph, or whatever that things name was... they had killed him. Hadn't they?

--

Vergil was unnerved to say the very least. He wanted to be left alone to mull over what he had seen. He wasn't ready yet to tell Dante what he saw, not with Trish within earshot. His patience was wavering the longer he was forced to sit in front of the crying young girl Trish had taken from the place earlier. Trish having squeezed herself into the back seat to quiet her.

"He'll find me, I know it!" The girl cried desperately. She was in the fit of some paranoia that no matter what she did she could not escape some person, who Vergil was beginning to associate with whoever it was he had seen. Or had he really seen it? It made his head hurt to think on it. Despite the enormousness of the situation, there were other things plaguing his mind as well.

The girl eventually passed out from exhaustion and the overall stress of her encounter. They left her outside the double doors to the nearest hospital so she could get proper care without them having to be involved further. The drive home was even worse than the drive to the hotel.

Vergil practically kicked the door open to get out of the car when they arrived at Devil May Cry and went straight for the gym without so much as a glance back. He was enraged by the idea of saving Trish without meaning to. By having seen that phantom, and with actually feeling urgency at the idea of what might've happened to Dante if Trish hadn't intervened.

Mostly though he was angry at himself for feeling anything at all. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He wasn't supposed to care whether or not they lived or died. He had trained himself to shut down his human side. The horrifying truth was he had enough time to stop himself from saving Trish, but he had done it, even transformed automatically when he heard the fear in his brother's voice. It still rung clearly in his head. He had saved her for Dante, the very person he did not want her around.

He dropped his coat and went right for the punching bag. He beat it mercilessly with his fists. Concentrating every angry thought directly into it. As if somehow doing so would get all the pent up anger out of him. Thinking on it though only angered him further.

The months spent with Dante had made him remember why he had chosen this path to begin with. He wasn't supposed to be by Dante's side. In his original plan he would die, taking Mundus down with him. Leaving only a glorified story like their father had. Yet here he was, still alive and in the company of the brother he intended to never know. Knowing Dante for him meant possibly caring about him, and that wasn't part of the ultimate plan. Nothing was left to hold them back anymore, and yet Vergil was so use to playing this role he felt naked without it. Vulnerability was a weakness, and in turn only made him angrier at feeling it.

Then the door opened, and in walked Trish. He internally groaned knowing that this was not what he needed right now.

"Vergil, I just wanted to...," she began, but he cut her off.

"Don't you DARE thank me," he growled as he hit the bag so hard a seam ripped and a small trickle of its contents fell out. Trish was quiet at this, and he could feel her staring at him, but he didn't turn to look at her. "I didn't do it for you."

"I know," she answered softly.

He whirled around to give her an angry stare.

"What could you possibly know?!" He screamed at her, feeling all that pent up rage suddenly exploding out from him. Whatever floodgates had held it in check were suddenly ripped off their hinges by her sudden attempt at trying to understand him. _HIM! _It was laughable!

Trish actually took a wary step back when he rounded on her and she at least had the common decency to look slightly frightened by him.

"You are no better than the vermin we destroyed tonight!" He spat at her, his eyes narrowing. "If Dante had any common decency he would've killed you when he found you!"

Trish's eyes suddenly hardened and she took a step towards him.

"You have no right to say that... I am NOTHING like those things and you would do well to remember that!" She snapped back at him. He could almost feel the static air around her, causing the hair on his arms to stand on end.

"_I_ am his family you hear me? You are nothing more than a toy created by Mundus who now only serves as a replacement for a woman dead and buried!"

"Oh yes, go on Vergil. Tell me about the brother you are to Dante! Where were you a year ago? 5? 10? 20?! Where the HELL were you when he needed you? I may not be blood, but I am more his family than you have EVER been!" She yelled at him, finally losing her composure and actually standing toe to toe with him.

"You know NOTHING," Vergil spat as he turned away from her.

"I know enough! Who do you think took care of you back on Mallet?! The nightmares you had while confined to that useless shell you once called a body. I couldn't shut your voice out of my head some nights, and always... ALWAYS you called for Dante! Begging for forgiveness..."

Vergil took a menacing step towards her, his hands out as if he were going to attack. His eyes turned viciously cold and it made Trish stumble backwards to distance herself from him. He pointed a finger in her face.

At that moment Dante entered the room, gazing first to his brother, and then to Trish who was obviously being cornered by him. His eyes narrowed.

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked as he strode over and knocked Vergil's hand away. He stepped in front of Trish and stared pointedly at Vergil, who only continued to glare as if Dante didn't separate him from Trish.

"Tell him Vergil," Trish finally said.

"Shut up." Vergil hissed in reply.

"Tell me what?" Dante asked confused.

"He's been lying to you Dante, and..."

"I'll kill you!" Vergil screamed as he launched himself at her. Dante caught him around the middle and prevented him from moving any closer to Trish

"Vergil, what the fuck?" Dante growled angrily. Vergil pushed him away, turning to stand with his back to them as he smoothed a hand to push back the hair that had fallen out of place. "Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Dante turned to Trish who only looked pointedly at Vergil as his own temper bubbled just beneath the surface. The longer Vergil remained quiet the angrier Dante became. Hadn't they gotten past all this bullshit? Weren't they finally making some progress at being brothers?!

"I should've never come back here." Vergil seethed as he started for the door. Something inside Dante broke with these words, which to him undid everything he had considered progress. He had allowed Vergil into his home, watched as Vergil insulted the people he cared for. The people who had been there for him when Vergil had flat out refused to be. Now this…

"I never asked you to." Dante growled. He stopped, his eyes going wide with realization. _I never asked him at all…_

Dante suddenly launched himself at the pride wounded Vergil, tackling him to the floor. Dante turned him over and punched him hard in the jaw. He could hear Trish's startled gasp as he punched downward again and again without break, pummeling Vergil with some inner turmoil conducting through his fists.

"I never asked you!" he screamed down at him. "You promised you would come back for me you asshole! You never did!" He stood up, breathing heavily and swaying slightly with his exertion. He wiped his forearm against his face as Vergil spit up blood, gasping for breath himself. Dante shook his head.

"You keep saying you'll kill me too, almost followed through once. But you can't even keep that promise can you? You toy with me, keeping me hanging on for another day. All for what Vergil? What have I been waiting for all these years? What is it you're waiting for?"

Trish made to move towards Dante, but found she was frozen in her place. She had lived with Dante only a short time, but she had never seen the anger he suddenly seem to exude. She hated to admit that it frightened her.

"I don't even care anymore. I warned you Vergil. What the hell did any of us do to ever deserve this?" he turned around and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Vergil's anger deflated with the sound of the door slamming, and Dante's words ringing in his ears. The crossroad that Vergil had feared was finally set down before him. He barely felt the pain Dante's punches, too caught up in the uncomfortable feeling of emotions stirring within him. It was like a cancer, spreading through him, devouring him slowly.

_It's time... _It would all be up to fate now which road he took. Vergil knew though that he had to at least try the road less taken, just this once.

Vergil's pride had been wounded more than his body could ever be. It was time for it to come to an end. Whatever the outcome, Vergil did not care.

He stood, barely glancing at the Trish as he wiped the blood from his mouth, and left the room. Once at the stairs he took them slowly as a feeling of anxiety threatened to overtake him. This was it, the moment he had dreaded most of his life. His heart beat in his chest and he almost willed it to give out from the stress. Anything to prevent this from finally happening.


	8. Different Than You

**Hello again everyone! Thanks for all the comments on the last chapter, but I'm really going to need feedback on this one. Love it or hate it? Let me know! There have always been theories on Vergil's motives through the games and this is my own personal interpretation of it. So if something doesn't click with the canon material then please let me know. I always try to keep as close to the Capcom story as much as possible while filling in gaps with my own personal things.**

**I tried to really work on Vergil's personality in this chapter while trying to make sure he doesn't go all OOC. I hope I managed to do that. Feel free to stone me if I didn't...lol**

**Also, to anyone currently reading "Nothing but Trouble", for a time it will be on hold because I've come to a story standstill. Not that I don't have ideas for it, but I've actually realized a huge plot hole that I never realized until a good friend pointed it out to me (Thank you _DevilWriterN _for beta reading and chatting DMC with me!). So until I can figure out how to move around it that story will be on hold. In the meantime I'll try to be regular with this and my other stories. :) And I **_**may**_** have another LadyxVergil story in the works... I also **_**may **_**have also begun writing it! lol**

**Originally this chapter was longer. So long in fact I had to cut it in half...lol Which should be good news to know that the next chapter is almost complete! **

**Read, review, and enjoy!**

* * *

_Was I just jealous, bitter, and cold?  
The sins I committed, the lies that I told.  
Had no respect for you only myself  
A memory I'm not so fond of as well.  
And I can honestly say I was wrong  
So can you forgive me so I can move on..._

**-Different than You by The Exies**

* * *

****

**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 8**

He did not knock on the door, only let himself quietly in. Dante was nursing his hand on his lap, his back to the door.

"Trish, could I have a few minutes," he asked softly. It was full of the honeyed tone he always used when addressing Trish. Vergil wondered why he'd never noticed Dante's ability to be gentle even in moments of great anger. It was one of the things he'd grown to envy about him since his arrival here.

"No, we need to talk." Vergil answered. Dante went rigid at the sound of his voice, but did not turn around.

"Go away," he said with cold ice returning to his voice.

"Not a chance. We need to talk," Vergil repeated closing the door behind him. He walked forward, watching Dante's profile the entire time to determine his present mood. His eyes were dark, face red with anger, and also pained. Vergil glanced down to see Dante cradling his fist in one hand. It was shaking violently, and he was pretty sure beneath the blood Vergil had supplied was probably a few good wounds of Dante's from the sheer force of his punch.

Vergil went to the bathroom and dampened a cloth, first wiping his own face clean before bringing a fresh one to Dante. Dante only stared at it though. Vergil dropped down to crouch by him and made to clean it himself.

"Why are you still here?" Dante asked testily. He pulled away from his brother and glared at him.

"I told you," he said tossing the wet towel at Dante. Dante caught it with his uninjured hand. "We need to talk."

"I don't feel like talking."

"Good. Because I don't require you to say anything. Just listen." Vergil growled, but caught himself. Now wasn't the time to let old habits take over. There was no need for the animosity anymore. They were far beyond that. "What I'm about to say I must ask that you don't take lightly. You can laugh all you want when I leave, if that is what you truly want by the end of this. Just know that I have no intentions of lying to you anymore." Vergil went and stood looking out the only window in the room, his back to Dante. He took a deep breath and proceeded.

"I...," he began, but found it difficult to say those words just now. He switched routes. "If I had known then what I know now I would've never left you alone in that field." Vergil felt Dante turn a bit to look at him, but he only ignored it. If he stopped now he might lose the strength to finally get this all out. "I never meant for any of this to happen. My intentions were always good, even in my darkest of times," he turned to glance at Dante who just looked at him confused. "Is it so odd to hear me attempting to apologize? To regret? Then it means I have played my part well. A little too well at times."

He found it difficult to say the words. Could almost feel his body recoiling from them, and yet he couldn't allow himself to be gripped by his own fears. If he were to ever become whole again then it meant cleansing himself of everything that he had attained along his dark journey. The trouble was, despite his sudden need to confess he was still Vergil. The same man who had done so many terrible things and not felt remorse at them. Even now, while he regretted the pain he caused his younger half he could not... no, would not regret his chosen path.

"When we were children mother use to read to us," he began. He had to ignore the confused look on Dante's face at the seemingly sudden change of topics. "One story in particular upset you pretty badly. It was the story of Hansel and Gretel, do you remember?"

Dante just stared blankly at him and Vergil couldn't tell if he was being obstinate or was trying to think.

"What had upset you so much was how the children's parents had just abandoned them to the woods. No matter how much mother tried to explain to you that they were doing it out of love because they felt the children's chances were better that way you just got angrier and angrier. You actually took the book from her and threw it in the fireplace. I had never seen you so blatantly disgusted by anything before."

"The parents were morons to think any child would be better off being abandoned." Dante griped as he covered his hand with the wet towel. Vergil turned to look at Dante over his shoulder to find him wiping his hand clean. "They were just selfish assholes who probably did it so there would be more food on the table for themselves."

"And yet, despite meeting the old witch the two ended up better off because of that abandonment did they not?" Vergil asked turning back to the window before Dante could catch his eye. "Sometimes to protect the things that are most precious to us we must let them go." At this Vergil turned to survey Dante pointedly. For a moment he just stared at his older twin and then suddenly his face became angry.

"Bullshit." Dante snapped at him, his eyes looking incredulously at Vergil. "I don't like where this is going."

"Don't interrupt me Dante." Vergil said in a warning tone.

"Get out; I don't want to hear this." Dante stood up to move towards the door, but Vergil caught him by the wrist.

"You WILL listen to me Dante."

"Like hell I will! I told you to get out, now let go of me," he barked as he tried to pull his wrist from Vergil. Instead Vergil pulled Dante's arm behind his back. He wrapped his forearm around Dante's neck to prevent him from struggling. "Let me GO!"

"Not until you calm down and listen to me!" Vergil hissed at him.

Dante was stubborn and would not calm down. The hold only proved to provoke his anger more, which was dangerous considering Vergil was not back at full strength yet. With a grab over his shoulder Dante took hold of Vergil's shirt and flipped him down onto the floor as he bent forward. Dante straddled him once on the ground, preparing to begin pummeling him again. Heavy breath, but no fall of his fists as he looked down at his twin. What stopped him was a sudden sobering of conscience provoked by the look of anguish on Vergil's face. The first time Dante had ever seen it there.

Dante let go of the collar of his shirt and Vergil pushed him away. Dante stood and pushed the hair away from his face, hands on his hips as he searched everywhere but where Vergil lay.

"Just say your peace and get out," he said in a breathy tone. Vergil stood to his full height, but did not straighten the shirt Dante had just been manhandling. He went this time to lean against the door to prevent Dante from getting the idea of leaving.

"There is so much to tell, and yet I find it escapes me in the face of your anger. The path I chose to walk after I believed you dead is not one I will apologize for Dante. I have seen the world, walked its many roads and seen wonders. The knowledge I have learned, and beings I have met more than make up for the lack of childhood. Yet I'm standing here now despite it all and wanting to tell you that everything I have done was, in a twisted way, to protect you and make you stronger." Vergil glanced up and Dante had moved to sit on the bed hunched forward with his back to him, unmoving. He began to move forward as he continued.

"Do you recall our first meeting? The day which you embraced me as a brother and I struck you down like an enemy?" He asked, still not yet having walked close enough to see Dante's face.

Vergil remembered it as if was yesterday and felt that it was not something even Dante would forget so easily. While staying in a small town Vergil had caught wind of a bazaar. He had heard of a seller of old books and other rare items that tended to travel with them and decided to come out of hiding just long enough to see if he had anything worth while. It had been early on, Vergil himself was young and finally had managed to establish himself financially and as a person of great power. Also a man with many enemies.

In his quest for knowledge he had tread on many toes, killed countless demons and humans alike. He was both hated and revered within the demonic realm, not known for showing mercy when faced with a potential threat. Oh yes, he had enemies...

The bazaar in question wasn't the run of the mill one so much as a more macabre version of it. Fortune tellers, weapons peddlers and other shady characters picked up along the way were welcomed.

Vergil was browsing, all too aware of his surroundings. He had to be, because he wasn't the only one who came to these kinds of bazaars. There was always the chance a demon or two could be weaving in and out of the crowd looking for blood. His in particular.

He was eyeing a beautiful scabbard, set with a simplistic Celtic symbol on the sides. It held an equally beautiful blade within with midnight blue stones in the handle, yet he set it down to get back to his quest for the peddler he had come for. As he walked away he heard a loud excited voice.

"Hey! Over here old man!" The voice called.

"Not... so... fast... Dante...," Another voice called in between breaths. It was the name he said though that made Vergil's blood run cold. He turned and spied a man limping over to the stand he had just left. While obviously weak in the legs the elderly gentleman was tall and appeared very strong. His stature was straight with a large barrel of a chest, wide shoulders and thick arms. He wore a simple outfit that consisted of black pants and a navy blue vest over a white shirt which suited him well. It was by no means dressy, because the clothing looked worn and lived in. He wasn't looking towards Vergil, so all Vergil could see was the dark hair.

He ambled over, using a cane and as he switched to walk more to the right Vergil felt his insides tighten. He saw the back of the boy with the old man and instantaneously saw the white, overly long hair. For the first time since he was a child he felt real emotion. It was elation, and a need to go to him. He had to be sure though, and so he watched dumbstruck as the boy examined the same knife and scabbard he had just set down.

"I think I'm old enough to make use of a real weapon. Don'cha think?" Dante said in a charming voice that Vergil could've seen through in a heart beat. Apparently so did the old man.

"Yeah right. What kind of a fool do you take me for exactly?" The old man asked with amusement in his voice. Vergil was oddly aware of the air around the two, much like father and son. Yet if this was truly his brother then this man was most definitely not his father.

"Oh c'mon! I'm tired of practicing with wood. A man needs a real blade!" Dante groaned in an irritated voice as he looked again at the scabbard.

"Go get this for me and I'll consider it," he responded as he handed Dante a small slip of paper and some money. Dante groaned in a defeated way and turned to stalk off, yet at an angle that Vergil couldn't see him clearly. "Bring me back my change boy!" He glanced back at the old man who, once Dante was far enough away, took the blade over to the person behind the counter with a secretive smirk.

Vergil turned and followed after Dante, who's white head was easy enough to follow as it weaved in and out of the crowd. He watched him very closely, feeling a prickling up his spine at Dante's stature and walk, a much matured version of how his brother had always done. It was little things that only Vergil knew, being his twin.

Finally he stopped partway up a street set apart from the rest, and Vergil found himself hiding just enough so as to see Dante. He spoke with the clerk who turned to begin looking through boxes. It was then that the boy's stature became impatient and he turned to occupy himself rather than stare at the large behind of the peddler. Vergil felt a shock throb in his chest when he finally saw his brother, Dante, glancing up into the blue sky.

Somehow he had always held a hope that not finding any signs of Dante had meant he was somewhere alive, and it seemed that this was the case. It should've been a happy moment, and somehow along with that pang of exhilaration came a creep of anxiety as well. He had wondered why that should be the case, but soon it became too apparent why.

Standing not far from them was a man with dark eyes, and he was watching Vergil very closely. It was one of many who was out for Vergil's blood, this one in particular he had tortured extensively to get information on Mundus. The demon in human form standing with its arms crossed to show the missing fingers on his right hand purposely as he gazed loathingly at Vergil.

Vergil caught himself before his eyes flicked to Dante. He wanted to keep the demons eyes on him and as far from Dante as he could. Vergil turned and walked openly away to keep the attention on him, and it appeared to be working. The demon followed with a slight limp. Vergil realized with a sinking feeling that he would have to leave Dante behind to the care of that human. It would be for the best if Dante never knew Vergil existed in this world and if by some miracle he survived this ill-begotten mission he would make good on his promise to come back for him.

Fate though would not let them be parted any longer though. Vergil heard someone call out his name and turned almost out of instinct. The demon stood between him and the caller of his name, but soon someone managed to push past him and before he knew it he was standing face to face with his little brother. Dante's crystalline blues staring at him in shocked disbelief, as if blinking might undo the image of Vergil before him. Dante lunged forward and embraced his brother.

"Is it really you?" Dante asked, and Vergil could feel his twin shaking. The bond had not been severed and Vergil felt peace such as he hadn't had in years. It was like a part of him finally returning to its rightful place, and for a moment he almost embraced Dante back. But he felt eyes on them and remembered the reason he was trying to keep Dante at bay. The demon's eyes looked confused, but soon they would begin to understand. He couldn't let Dante pay for his sins, so as he gazed coldly and unemotionally at his enemy he slowly reached for Yamato.

"Foolish boy," Vergil hissed and pushed Dante away to the ground. Dante eyed him confused, tears of joy still partially filling eyes that were suddenly showing fear.

"Vergil?" Dante asked his eyes questioning as he made to stand.

"Vergil is dead," he growled in turn and drove his sword down into his brother. The boy who use to follow him around, who asked questions, and who would sometimes crawl to sleep beside him when he couldn't sleep. The same boy who cried at the very idea of Vergil being angry with him and once said he loved Vergil the most of any other in the world.

Dante's look of shock, pain, and anguish would've been enough to break him if he weren't so set in his ways. He had taught himself to not show emotions, and even though internally he was screaming in protest it never registered outwardly. He pulled the blade from Dante and turned to walk away without a single word or glance backwards.

Vergil, brother of Dante died that day...

"So you tried to kill me to protect me, is that it?" Dante's voice suddenly broke the thought just as Vergil came to stand equal to him. Dante's face was obscured by his hair.

"I didn't try at all. If I had actually tried you would've been dead. I had to get you away from me though, even if it meant severing our bond. Don't you get it? It was for your own good. You're only alive today because of all the sacrifices I've made."

Dante suddenly stood and turned to glare at Vergil.

"Sacrifices?! You are an evil asshole who tried to KILL your only family. And for what Vergil, huh? So you could become the all mighty badass while the rest of the world bowed at your feet and kissed your ass? Don't fucking talk to me about sacrifices! You're a selfish bastard and did it all for no one but your..."

Now it was Vergil's turn to get angry. He flew at Dante and punched him mid sentence.

"Don't you DARE condescend to me! Are you so righteous here with your little business? Are you so different from me? The same logic and reasoning flows through our veins. I killed, maimed, and tortured my way to power all for the sake of finding the man who TOOK you from me! I bled, was kicked to the ground, mistreated by countless breeds growing up all so I could one day become strong and do the one thing I couldn't do as a child!" Vergil growled at him, clenching his fists tightly.

"And what's that?" Dante yelled mockingly as he fingered his sore jawbone.

"PROTECT YOU DAMNIT!! To take my revenge on the people who stole that life we could've had. I WANTED that life you ignorant bastard! I wanted to grow, to learn how to FEEL and love. My anger and hatred eats me from the inside out, and the guilt of what I've done to YOU is like an incurable disease I have to live with every single day! Do you have any idea what it's taken to not just tell you all of this all these years? The agony of watching you from afar living your own happy little life while I lived a constant nightmare I couldn't awake from? I HATE you for having a life like this and for being able to love unconditionally these people around you. But if you had half a brain you would realize that you have it because I chose not to involve you in my life..."

Dante stood dumbstruck looking at Vergil who was shaking with the pure anger running through him. It was like finally letting go of everything he had ever wanted to say, and yet wouldn't allow himself to for fear of what damage it might cause to the outer shell he had built around himself. The shell had begun to crack since living with Dante and in a sudden moment of anger he had shattered it.

"Bullshit." Dante said breathlessly before sitting back down on the bed, no longer able to meet Vergil's eyes. A long silence followed this and Vergil turned again to the window as he tried to find his composure. Dante was debating it all in his mind and wondered why he should feel a twinge of guilt. Vergil was the one at fault here after all.

"What about Temen-ni-gru? If you were trying to protect and not involve me then why call me there?" Dante finally asked breaking the uncomfortable silence. Vergil sighed heavily.

"The answer should be obvious if you search hard enough. True, I required the amulet for my own purposes, but that was not the only reason I wanted you there." Vergil paused for a moment. "Coming into my powers was not an easy task. You have to shed your human body to effectively change to your other half. You had finally reached the age, beyond the protection of our father, and I had to make you come into yourself before it was too late. I knew all too well the pain involved and so I decided that I would be the one to help you crossover into your powers. I didn't want it to be anyone else but me."

Dante was mulling this over in his mind. He wasn't sure whether or not to believe it. Was this all a trick? It was true that when Vergil had impaled him with his own blade he had finally come into his powers. It happened, so was it so far fetched to believe that Vergil knew it would? He thought of all the times they'd fought and realized that Vergil had always left Dante alive. He had always wondered why and now thinking back he could find pieces and times that fit with the puzzle Vergil was lying before him. His muscles relaxed and he stood to stand beside Vergil, looking out onto the street below.

"Why did you follow after Mundus then? You could've just come back through the hell gate with me Vergil," he said.

"Since the moment I thought you were gone I was bound and determined to find the source that took you from me and have my revenge. The trail lead me to Mundus, and the only way I could reach him was the Hell Gate. I couldn't have known about Arkham's treachery then, but I planned to gain our fathers strength and stand up to Mundus on my own. I promised her Dante, as she lay dead in my arms, that I would always take care of you."

"Bullshit," Dante said in a much weaker tone this time. Vergil turned to gaze at his twin who was resolutely looking out the glass.

"I never break my promises."

"Liar." Dante breathed. "You promised to come back for me." Vergil turned back to the window.

"I'm here, aren't I? Just took me a lot longer than I had planned. I had every intention of coming back once Mundus was destroyed if I survived, but then I found myself trapped by him. He tricked me. I went down to him thinking that I could fool him, and I paid the ultimate price for my ignorance. When we fought, I didn't even know who you were anymore. You weren't my brother, yet somehow I managed to capture glimpses of myself in all that darkness."

Dante remembered it. The time when he knew him as Nelo. How he had been so close to crushing Dante's windpipe. The moment Nelo caught a glimpse of his amulet though, something had happened to him. It was almost recognition, an internal fight, and then he was gone.

"What happened to you?" Dante asked.

"I arrived at my destination and was greeted by Mundus himself. He had been expecting me obviously, and was dead set on making me his slave. I underestimated his powers. Years of planning and calculations blew up in my face within mere seconds. I never expected he could control me using the very thing that protected us."

Vergil touched the amulet at this throat.

"In his world every creature of demon blood abides by his laws. You and I though have immunity to it, being not only part human but also the son's of the only devil to break free of his hold."

"If we're immune then how did he manage to trick you? I mean, I was able to defeat him with no problem. Are you admitting you suck?" Dante asked as an uncomfortable laugh escaped his lips.

Vergil turned to look at his younger twin and smiled slightly before shame became apparent over every inch of his face.

"I can freely admit Dante that my intentions, while always in the right place, were selfish and greedy. Revenge is never going to get you anywhere, especially with demons. They feed off that rage and use it against you. I thought becoming a hollow, emotionless shell would make me impenetrable, but in the end it was my greatest flaw and weakness against Mundus. You however came before Mundus with love in your heart rather than hate." Vergil said simply.

Dante laughed.

"Ok, I did not LOVE Mundus in any way, shape, or form." Dante barked at him. Vergil actually smacked him in the back of his head. "HEY!"

"This is like talking to a 5 year old... Pay attention, because I won't explain this twice. My life after we were separated was not a healthy one. Disjointed, solemn and solitary. Even now I can't even grasp half the concepts men my age are supposed to know. Yours, while not perfect, was good enough to instill you with morals and the ability to love and understand those around you. At the moment I came before Mundus I had nothing left to live for, having given my life up years before. It made me easy to manipulate for all my cocky beliefs that I was impenetrable. You though love life, and the people in it. This was the power needed that helped our father to defeat Mundus. I couldn't understand it until I recognized you while trapped within that shell of a body."

"So... all you need is love?" Dante asked in a mock voice. Vergil rolled his eyes. "Who knew, the Beatles were right." Dante shrugged as Vergil sighed as if he were giving up. "I still don't see why you didn't just tell me. Do you know how much it sucked when I saw you standing there? Then on top of it have you rush me as if I were an enemy? Did you really have to take it that far?"

"Understand one thing Dante. I... I fear normalcy more than anything else. For years all I had was my plans and revenge. It was what drove me to live on from day to day. Without it I feared I could not be settled. Even now, knowing that it's over I still feel the creep of anxiety at the idea of starting over without it. I have lived this way for so long I don't know any other way to be." Vergil sighed again and gave a sidelong look at Dante looking a lot older and tired than he had moments before.

Dante just shuffled his hands on his pants nervously.

"Yeah, well you live here now. So start learning how to stop being such a dick." Dante said with a nervous laugh. It was uncomfortable for Vergil to be so...honest about his... feelings. Damn, Dante didn't even think he had any.

Vergil's face lifted to stare at his brother in slight shock. Almost if he didn't believe what Dante was saying.

"I'm not gonna hug you or anything so stop looking at me like that. And don't think you're off the hook for everything you've pulled. It's going to take a lot of sucking up and pizza dinners to even begin scratching the surface of my forgiveness." Dante said with his arms crossed, his eyes closed in a smug way. He opened one survey Vergil.

As pissed as he was a flood of relief was sweeping through Dante, somehow making it impossible to be too angry over what he had just heard. He WANTED to believe that the wait was finally over, and that the long overdo reunion had finally arrived. Truth be told he would've hugged the bastard if he thought he could get away with it, but it was too soon. Vergil's confession alone was a large step and Dante knew baby steps forward would be the best way to ease Vergil out of his evil ways.

"I can't believe it." Vergil sighed. "Just like that? No temper tantrum, or long speech? You are either the craziest man on earth or just plain stupid."

_Ahhh, there's my brother..._

"Well, a little bit of both apparently." Dante responded as he put a hand out to Vergil to shake.

"All these years...for nothing." Vergil groaned in surprise. He had seen this scene playing out so differently to the point he avoided the thought all together due to the anxiety it brought. He never figured it would ever happen, and yet here it was and Dante was still there.

"Yeah, now who's the stupid one?" Dante chimed in at the brooding look of his twin. Vergil looked utterly hopeless, but regardless nodded his head in agreement before straightening his collar.

"You ripped my shirt," Vergil noted.

"You'll survive," Dante said with a roll of his eye, and this time took his brothers hand and shook it. Vergil lifted an eyebrow at him. "Would you rather I hugged you?"

Vergil's grip on Dante's hand went from limp to crushing in .2 seconds flat.

"Ow, ow, ow, OK, OK!!" Dante groaned as he was brought to his knees by Vergil's grip. "C'mon, I'm injured here!" Vergil eased up and pulled Dante to stand again. Dante took his hand back and rubbed at it gingerly. "You really are an ass you know that?"

"And yet you offered me a home here. You're stuck with me. What does that make you Dante?" Vergil mused and for the first time a genuine grin split his features. Dante noted Vergil looked almost relaxed, a playful glint in his eye that was unclouded by thought or reason.

It reminded him of the same look Trish had when she saw a true blue sky for the first time. It brought her to mind as he turned to grin at his brother.

"You realize what this means right?" Dante asked with a devious smirk. If Vergil was genuine. TRULY genuine about staying with him and changing his ways...

"What's that?" Vergil asked slightly tensing at the look on his twins face.

"Trish..."


	9. Different Than You: Part 2

**Hello again faithful readers! Another chapter, and this one is a doozy. I'm going to have to ask for your full attention as was needed in the previous chapter. This one deals with Vergil and Trish, going in depth into what may have occurred on Mallet and Trish's memories from that time.**

**So again if something doesn't click with canon material please let me know. I really wanted to give Trish a chapter. Due to having so many characters to juggle it's really hard for me to give due time to people beyond the main three and I have neglected Trish who is an integral part of this story. I think I like this chapter, and Trish in this chapter with Vergil. How you guys will like it, well that has yet to be seen. Now that this chapter is complete though I shouldn't have as many mind road blocks as I once did. I can advance with the story from here on out.**

**Oh, and to all the people who have been reviewing. I was unable to reply to quite a few reviews for this story and a couple others. I apologize! I got sick over the course of the last week (ended up with an IV in my arm, ugh) and by the time I could get to them there was an overwhelming amount! I didn't have the brains to answer them all. So thank you guys for the reviews! I've been keeping up with them since, but if I didn't reply to yours after a week or two then I apologize. I'm all better now. Stupid summer flu's!**

**Hopefully you'll come away from this chapter feeling good. I'm pretty sure you won't neglect to tell me if you don't! Oo Enjoy!**

* * *

_We are one in the same  
Only with different names  
Somethings are not worth changing  
I learned to love by hating._

**-Different Than You by The Exies**

_

* * *

_**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 9**

Downstairs Trish stood outside on the front steps of Devil May Cry. She had listened in uncomfortable silence to Vergil and Dante yell at each other and ultimately decided she needed some air. She could've just kept her mouth shut in the gym and yet she had been surprised by Vergil's actions back at the old hotel. She had hoped that she could use what he had done to finally show him she wasn't what he thought.

He had angered her though, because there were still some lingering doubts in her own mind about her place in Dante's life. Vergil was ever ready to point them out, and it had rubbed her the wrong way. Especially when she had tried again and again to prove to herself that she had changed. Dante had changed her.

The difference between her then and now was that despite her dislike of Vergil she knew Dante loved him. The old her would find amusement in that, and wouldn't care. She did now though, wanting everything he loved to be something she loved. She still had a long road to travel in terms of finding herself, and so she clung to his life as her own to help make her feel whole.

She shivered slightly as a wind blew through the narrow street way. It was on a similar night like this that she had first been introduced to Vergil.

"Get up," the deep voice called to her. She had been down in the dank cellar on the bare floor she called her bed, and yet she didn't ever sleep. Mundus had always told her it was the body he had given her that had not been broken of its human habits. She never felt tired, or hungry. She never really felt.

In the darkness of the room she could see the three glowing orbs that signaled the presence of her Master. She sat up in command, naked as the day she was born. It was a detail of her life she had never confessed to Dante because she didn't know how he would handle it. She had been ordered to never wear clothing while inside the castle. Another one of Mundus' cruelties that she figured had to do with his need to humiliate who he had created her to be. It was a way at getting revenge on a woman who was dead and no longer within his grasp to punish. One thing Trish had learned early on was Mundus' hatred for Eva knew no limits.

As she was fully sitting she found a complete stranger lying on the floor across from where she was.

"You will watch over him and see he does not get into any trouble. And if he should..." the demonic voice growled out of the darkness.

"Yes Master." Trish said obediently, knowing all too well that he sought out reasons to torment the body she was encased in. Thinking back on it, having to take care of Vergil in no clothing had also been a sick joke on Mundus' part, and perhaps now Vergil remembered all too clearly. Trish hoped he didn't. Shame was a feeling she had come to know since being freed and the idea now bothered her in a way it never could previous.

"Wake." Mundus said. Vergil's eyes had opened almost robotically and rather than the mystic blue she would come to know they were as black as thick blood. No emotions or recognition of any kind came from the figure. The amulet at his throat glowed with an unholy light. "You are Nelo."

"I..." Vergil's voice began to say. "...am..." Vergil stopped talking and said no more.

"Say it..." Mundus hissed at him.

Suddenly Vergil twisted and writhed in agony as a scream such as Trish had never heard managed to work its way from his throat. It was both painful and full of fury. His whole body went painfully ridged as the amulet on his chest began to burn its way into his skin, embedding itself there. The skin around it bubbled and hissed angrily until finally it found its core and took hold. Vergil sat straight up, eyes wide and jaw slack as he stared into nothing at all.

"Who are you?" Mundus asked.

"I...am...Nelo." Vergil's toneless voice said. It was soulless, a faint whisper.

"Yes, you are." Mundus said in what could be considered a contented laugh, mocking the vague figure. With that Mundus disappeared without so much as directions on what to do next. Trish had never had to "take care" of anything before. So she sat watching the figures profile. Vergil still remained sitting up rigidly long after Mundus left as if waiting for further instructions. His muscles were tense and he looked the worse for wear.

"Lay down," Trish finally said and Vergil obediently did as he was told. Now though he was staring at the ceiling rather than the wall. She didn't like seeing his dead eyes. "Go to sleep." His eyes began to shut and even before the lashes hit his cheeks he was already sleeping as if he hadn't done so in months.

Trish stayed with him on her masters orders, him having been placed in her "care". She didn't know the meaning of boredom, or care about time. Most of her days were spent in solitude except when Mundus came to torment her. He firmly believed the best way to keep her from straying was to keep her afraid of him. Yet some days she hoped the beatings and torture would somehow kill her. Mundus knew where to stop though. Of course he did. Physical pain was the only thing he ever allowed her to feel.

She had witnessed the torture and humiliation Mundus forced upon the dead eyed man who slowly became Nelo. The once beautiful human features she had watched sleep restlessly at night soon was replaced by his devil form. Something that had angered Mundus because he seemed to prefer the form that more closely resembled Sparda's human side, and the eyes of Eva while he was tormenting him. His permanent transformation was almost like a bid for control coming deep within the man. Even after everything he could never fully control Vergil.

It was at night when Vergil would call out for Dante, his mother, and Amy. In sleep he was more himself, and somehow reliving some memories left untouched in his subconscious. It was the first time Trish had ever felt anything, even though it was in the smallest trace amounts. It was foreign and easily pushed aside because she didn't know what to do with it.

One night he had been the worst she had ever seen him. She had seen her fair share of what Mundus could do when using a body the way Vergil was being used. At the time she had no real knowledge of what Vergil fully was. What she knew was limited to what Mundus felt she needed to know and the defeat by Sparda was not something he would ever admit willingly. So Trish had moved to sit Vergil up in the grip of a jerking fit. Most creatures got past the resistance phase within a week or even a few days. Vergil though never fully gave up on trying to break free of his hold. Perhaps this was the reason Mundus wanted someone to keep an eye on him when Mundus himself could not be bothered to do so.

She feared that he might swallow his own tongue. No, not feared for his safety but of what Mundus might do to her should she fail to prevent it. Vergil was like a trophy to him, some object of victory.

"One of an incomplete set," he used to say with a knowing tone. It was only upon meeting Dante she got the picture.

In the moment she went to sit him up though he had thrown his arms about her waist.

"Mother," he sighed against her shoulder.

"Nelo, release me!" She hissed at him while trying to pry the arms away.

"Nelo?" He asked in confusion. The head lifted and Trish noticed his eyes were fading in and out. From black, to midnight blue. For the first time he actually SAW her, not just looked at her as if she were part of the wall. "I'm Vergil." He reassured himself. Then the visage of the devil faded and she was again looking at the human underneath the armor.

It was the first time she had ever heard his real name. She began to claw at his arms, but he had a death grip on her. She yelled at him again to release her and even gave him an electrical jolt. Still he refused to let her go.

"I won't!" He said angrily to her. "If I do, then you'll die again. Just like you always do!"

His voice, while sounding like an angry man had a childlike quality to it. It was then she considered he was in the grip of a nightmare and potentially coming out of whatever it was Mundus had done to him. Mundus had been away for a long time and during Vergil had become harder to control.

"You're so cold," he said sadly to her. He pulled the hard blanket that was normally what he used to sleep with and pushed it at her. He then sat up and pulled off the stained and worn vest he'd been wearing since his arrival. He gave it to her, and she didn't know why but she put it on to cover herself.

Vergil seemed to right himself and laid back down to fall back into sleep. "I will protect you." It was the last thing he said to her until he woke after bringing him back. She had been so absorbed in Dante's pain she ignored her own, because maybe she expected something different when he woke up. His lack of recognition had really hurt, as well as his reaction to seeing her.

Mundus had returned and he knew what had occurred. About Vergil awakening, and accusing her of allowing a connection to be forged between them.

"Master, it is not true." Trish said calmly to him. "I am merely doing as I was asked."

"Then explain to me what occurred last night." Mundus countered. Somehow she just knew that whatever had occurred was what he was angry at. She just couldn't figure out which part of it was angering him. Sometimes it was better not to speak at all.

Trish stood from the step in front of Devil May Cry. She poked her head back inside and heard silence coming from upstairs. She half wondered if the two had killed one another. She let herself in and headed for her room. She didn't know why, but she was in need of something that she had held onto from those days. The only thing that had left the island with her.

She opened the wardrobe doors and reached into the far back. From inside she pulled the first piece of clothing she had ever worn. She had been punished thoroughly for taking something from Vergil and "giving back" something to him. She didn't know then that she had allowed him to show her kindness, and by doing so he had come to recognize her as a person of safety. Maybe even remember who he was. She took her punishment, but hid the vest like a sin. When the time came to go and find Dante she had tailored the vest Vergil had given her to make it look unrecognizable. Even dyed it black. The amulet had worn a hole in the front and so she had no choice but to create an opening at the front to help disguise it. Mundus had never known that a part of Vergil left the island in the form of the bodice she wore.

Even Dante did not know about the vest, because it would be very uncomfortable to try and explain why she needed one in the first place. Some things were best left unsaid.

It was then the door opened behind her, and she quickly dropped the clothing out of sight. She turned, and rather than Dante she found Vergil standing in the doorway. She turned back to stare into the wardrobe as she was sitting on the floor.

"Kill Dante and come to finish me off?" Trish asked in a biting tone. The door closed and she heard his unsure footsteps. He would walk, pause, then walk, and then pause. He stood just behind her for a long time without saying anything.

"Is that my vest?" He finally asked as he bent over and snatched it from her hand. Trish got up right quick to try and retrieve it.

"Give it back, that's MINE!" She yelled at him. He however was much taller than she was and made sure it was well out of reach as he examined it.

"What did you do to it?" He asked as he put a hand out to keep her at a distance while he held it outstretched in his other hand. "I didn't give it to you so you could mutilate it."

At this Trish stopped fighting to get it back and only stared at him.

"What do you want?" She snapped crossing her arms and glowering at him. "I suppose Dante sent you in here to make nice?"

"If he did?" Vergil inquired observing the stitching on the bust.

"You're doing a poor job of it. Now hand it over."

Vergil turned to look at her and finally handed it back to her. She snatched it from him and returned it to the closet.

"Tell me honestly Vergil. You really don't want to make nice with me, do you?"

"No, not really," he said as he leaned against the window sill.

"There's the door," she growled pointing her finger at it.

"I may not want to, but I will since Dante asked me to."

"Why? Why do anything if you're only going to do it half-assed?"

Vergil frowned at this, possibly considering her logic.

"Look. I have been willing to work with you since day one. Hell, I was the one who brought you back here! You can't just decide when it's convenient for you to finally stop treating me like scum."

He was just watching her closely as if sizing her up and it was annoying her.

"So tell me, why did you keep the vest?" He finally asked as his eyes cast around uninterestedly.

"Why not? It was the first thing I was ever given, and the only thing that connects me to my past," she responded putting a hand on her hip.

"I thought you despised your past?"

"I do, but I can't deny it no matter how hard I try. There is no point in loathing something that has come and gone. Besides, in a way I can partially be thankful to Mundus. I would've never even been if it weren't for him, and I may not be standing here now. The vest is proof I have a past, and a reminder that not everything or everyone is as they seem."

He lifted an eyebrow at this.

"If you have truly reformed then you should know better than anyone that change is possible even for the most hopeless of cases." She put emphasis on hopeless and found some satisfaction at seeing him scowl a bit at her for it. He still wouldn't say anything though and she was close to her breaking point. "You have something to say, or did you come here to observe me in my natural environment?"

"Actually I did." Vergil shrugged. "I admit I didn't expect that answer from you. I had thought you'd say you took it to remember me by, or some such generic nonsense."

"What makes you think I'd say that? I couldn't feel proper emotions to have remembered what I felt towards you then. Our time together was brief and all I really recall is you being used like a puppet during the day and in sheer terror at night."

"Because true demons cannot think half as deeply as you just managed. Everything is on the surface with them, uncomplicated by thought or reason. It is both impersonal and generic the way they perceive things."

"So now you're testing me?!" She snapped at him.

"If I'm going to allow you..."

"Allow me?!"

"...allow you to remain by Dante's side then I would sleep better knowing you are not out to bring ruin upon him. Call me cruel but your kind is not known to be trustworthy and you yourself have shown the same in your past."

Trish turned her back to him, grinding her teeth together and trying so hard not to start a fight. _The arrogant bastard!_

"And while your appearance is regrettable it seems there is nothing I can do to sway Dante from his chosen course of actions. Then again I must remind myself it is not by your own doing that you resemble my mother and so I cannot fault you for loving Dante in turn. He is, after all, very easy to care for. Something I have learned in my time with him."

Trish turned a bit to see the scowl had somewhat softened. The tone of his voice, while still "holier than thou" didn't have the same condescending tone to it.

"I won't sit by and say that we will be a shining happy family no matter how much I try. I have too many lingering doubts that are also faults of my own character. You look like her, but as Dante said the more time spent around you the less I see you as her. It helps to ease the anger some, combined with the fact that Dante is a different and albeit happier person with you around." Vergil sighed smugly. "I'll never fully understand it, but there it is. This is how I am, and may be for a long time. If you truly love the man then you will have to accept me because we are a set, and you cannot have one without the other."

Trish only stared at him pointedly, mulling this over in her head. He wasn't so different from Dante in how he could say something right only to cancel it out by saying something stupid. She somewhat understood what he was saying, and it seemed this was what she could consider his way of making nice. He wouldn't just come out and say _I'm sorry, I've been an ass please forgive me! _Oh no, it had to be a jumble of negativity to mask some of the kinder thoughts within.

"You talk too much," she sighed.

"One of my finer qualities." Vergil said observantly.

"I still don't like you."

"I didn't like you from the beginning. And yet I'm about 76.6 close to getting there." He said, and even though she was sure he hadn't meant it to, it sounded funny. It was so precise and so...Vergil sounding. She stifled a laugh because she wasn't ready to roll over just yet. She was only about 87 there.

"Tell me what you remember from back then," she asked as she sat down on a chair by the window. He frowned at her; no doubt his "charm" should've done the trick on her.

"Bits and pieces. Mostly darkness and a sense of void." He looked as if he were pulling something buried deep within his head.

"Dreams?"

"I didn't dream. Dreaming implies one is sleeping with intentions of waking. I was in an endless sleep with no hope of ever seeing reality again."

"You're lying again," she hummed.

"I am NOT lying."

"If you were sleeping then HOW exactly did I get the vest? The better question is how did you recognize your vest after all these years with all the alterations I made?"

"Because all my clothes are hand made, and I would recognize it anywhere regardless of your dye job and shredding it as you did," he said smugly as he crossed his arms.

"Do you know how I got it?" She asked.

"I do actually. It's one of the few memories I have of that time."

She looked at him surprised, fully expecting him to say he remembered nothing at all. Yet he said it with a devil may care attitude like it wasn't something he was ashamed to admit.

"And after?" She prodded.

"From there nothing until seeing Dante again in the courtyard, and a vague memory of a cliff overlooking the ocean."

"The ocean?" Trish asked wide eyed as she watched him move uncomfortably with his arms crossed. "You were with me then too." He gave her an odd look. "I thought Mundus had killed me, that I would finally find peace in darkness. But I heard someone calling to me, and somehow the voice made it unbearable to let go."

It had been Dante, although she hadn't known it at the time. Since he had saved her after the fight with the nightmare creature she had begun to feel something towards the devil hunter. There was such an ache from within to be near him that she wondered if she would die from the affliction of such emotions. He had awakened something within her.

"I wandered looking desperately for him. I needed to see him again even if I didn't know what I'd do once I did. Then I saw you, stumbling in full devil form just outside the castle. It was the first time I had seen you since...," she paused biting her lip as she remembered all too well what punishment Mundus had chosen for her and Vergil after that night he gave her the vest. She had been forced to whip him mercilessly to break whatever bond apparently had formed in Mundus' twisted mind. Vergil in turn was forced to do the same, but when it came time he remained still and did not listen to Mundus' commands. She would never know if it was because of her face, or because he had bonded with the soulless woman she had become.

"...you were injured and I almost passed you by. Your face was different though, more man like than devil and in your face I saw his. It was the first time I think I felt the pain of my heart breaking. I knew you were connected to him somehow and the idea of you that way, of him seeing you that way hurt so badly." Trish said softly with her head down. She could feel it somewhere within, that same aching pain and the tears began. The truth... The truth was she couldn't help but loving Vergil because he was Dante's brother. Something was engraved in her deepest roots to love Dante and everyone that brought him joy, and even pain. His pain for Vergil too was a sign of his undying love for his twin, a bond that even time and wear could never break.

"He loved you so much. How could I not?" Trish asked when she looked up at a startled Vergil. "I brought you back for him, for hope that I could rectify all I had done to him. To you... My life is nothing without him, so hate me if you must. I can bare the pain of it, as long as he can feel complete and sleep soundly in my arms at night."

Vergil came to stand before her and handed her a handkerchief from his pocket. She took it without a word and wiped her face.

"I hate you, and yet I can't. Arrrgh, if that makes any sense at all." She said annoyed as she shook her head. Vergil leaned forward and lifted her face, pushing her hair back to examine her eyes very closely. He needed to know she wasn't lying to him, because a part of him still didn't want to trust her. He could see pain there however in the eyes that so resembled his mother's and he let out a deep sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Women," he sighed again. "Why must you always cry when all I wanted was a simple business transaction?" Trish only blew her nose and it made his forehead crease. "You can keep that." He said eyeing the soiled handkerchief.

"There is no such thing as business transactions when it comes to women Vergil. Unless of course you're referring to a job. Everything else requires emotions or else you're wasting our time."

"So I've noticed. So what will it be then Trish? Do I tell Dante I have failed miserably and continue to have this conversation with you for the rest of eternity or do we simply agree to disagree and say we can stand one another?" He asked pointedly.

"Where would you say you are percentage wise now?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"About 90.6 now." He replied thoughtfully.

"I guess I can live with that." Trish said smirking slightly as she stood from her chair. She felt like something else was needed though to cement the agreement. Should she shake his hand, or say something more? He was just standing there looking at her almost...expectantly. Maybe he was just as clueless as she was on where to go from here.

"Hug her already," a fake coughing voice came from the other side of the door. Both Vergil and Trish turned to look to see it had, at some point during their conversation, managed to open itself a crack. The two looked back at each other oddly and Trish put a hand up as Vergil went to go to the door. She slipped out of her boots and quietly tiptoed behind the door putting a finger to her lips for Vergil to remain quiet. Curiosity would get the better of him sooner or later... Apparently sooner.

The door opened a bit more to see in and at that moment Trish slammed it shut and a thud of something skull-like hitting it could be heard followed by an "ow".

Trish opened the door wide to see Dante sprawled on his back in the hallway.

"What were you doing Dante?" Trish asked as she crossed her arms and looked down at him. He sat up on his elbows and gave her a pained smile.

"I was looking for my boot... Can't find it."

"You mean the one on your foot?" Vergil inquired with a "not buying it" look at his twin.

"Aha! There it is... I knew I'd find it over here somewhere..." Dante's voice trailed off as he cleared his throat. "Sooo, how about dinner on me?" He offered with a guilty expression on his face.

"You two go ahead, I have some stuff here I need to take care of. Besides, you have a lot of catching up to do." Trish said with a small knowing smirk. She and Vergil would talk again, but for now the dust needed to settle between them and Dante needed to spend some time with Vergil alone.

"You sure babe?" Dante asked, finally standing up. Trish looked over at Vergil who was resolutely looking elsewhere.

"I am. You two have fun."

Without fair warning Trish gave Vergil a peck on the cheek and closed the door on both of them. Vergil's reaction was one of shock and embarrassment as his face turned pink. Dante's mouth hung open as he stared wide eyed at Vergil.

"You sly dog. I told you to make nice, not make moves on my girlfriend!" Dante barked at him.

"Oh, shut up Dante." Vergil growled back at him, turning to walk downstairs. Dante smirked at his back.

"I guess dinners on you tonight Romeo."

"Dante, shut up!" Vergil hissed.


	10. Nightmare

**Another update of this poor story that has been so neglected by the author...lol I apologize of course, but I WAS doing Dante related things. Working on HMN and KM making my beta reader salivate...lmao I have also been going crazy making DMC inspired AMV's...lol I'm a big fan of creating most anything DMC.**

**This was a very hard chapter for me for several reasons. Firstly, the scenes with Amy just weren't cutting it with me in terms of wording, so I was stumped for a long time on her scenes. I also wanted to add in two more scenes at the end of this chapter but felt if I did it would be throwing too much plot at you at once. The last time I overwhelmed a chapter with too much info I really wasn't happy with how it turned out so I'm trying to learn from that.**

**Also, things are getting darker. Originally I had planned to stick to a story with no real conflict or "big bad" to fight. Then I realized one of the key elements of DMC is the evil guys the characters face while dealing with their own personal demons. So now the arc is being set for some hard times ahead. I felt it was neccessary and that it adds to the story. So this chapter begins the "quiet before the storm" arc. Try to control your stone throwing hands. :D**

**Hopefully you will enjoy! -eyes bucket of throwing stones-**

* * *

**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 10**

"Hey, would you two wait up!" Vergil growled as he ran after Dante and Amy.

"Keep up slow poke or you're gonna be left behind!" Dante teased as he turned to run backwards.

"We should slow down and wait for him Dante." Amy interrupted, beginning to slow her pace to wait for him. Dante screwed his face up and sighed, finally stopping.

Vergil came up over the hill huffing and dropped against the trunk of a tree breathing deeply.

"Dude, you are so slow today!" Dante laughed as he tried to muss Vergil's hair. Vergil grabbed his arm and pulled him to the ground, pinning him.

"Not as slow as you brother." Vergil grinned, noting Amy was looking at them both oddly.

"Vergil and Amy sitting in a tree...," Dante sang up at his twin. Vergil clamped a hand over his mouth and looked at Amy who was grinning from ear to ear. He was only 12, he didn't like girls. Yet when she smiled at him...

Dante pushed him over and tackled Vergil to the ground.

"Amy! Count it down!" Dante yelled as he tried to keep Vergil pinned.

"Get off of me, Amy don't you dare!" Vergil growled determined he would not lose to Dante.

Instead of helping either she jumped on them both with a girlish laugh, causing their ribs to mash together and them to protest.

"I thought you were on my side Amy!" Dante laughed as he tried to push her weight off. She sat on his back as if he were a horse and bounced.

"I'm on no one's side but my own!" She chimed as she leaned forward and mussed both of their hair from her position on Dante's back.

"Gah! Not the hair!" Dante whined as he shook his head.

"Let's get her Dante!" Vergil growled, and Amy began laughing furiously as they made to get her off.

"No! Stay back!" She yelled as she got up and took off running. The two boys gave chase, running further into the woods after her. Her breath was heaving and adrenaline was coursing through her veins at being chased. She mustn't get caught!

Amy turned around to see the boys, but found that they were no longer chasing her. In fact, they were no where at all.

"Vergil? Dante?" She called to the empty forest, but everything was still and almost deathly quiet. Her breath hitched as she realized she didn't know from which way she came and suddenly there were too many pathways to be sure. She cried out again for them but still received no answer. Something twitched to her right and she jumped. "Who's there?"

From the dark trees a tall figure in black stepped forward. The hood on its head made it impossible to see a face, but Amy felt her blood run cold as she stared at the figure. Something was urgently telling her to run, but her feet were melded to the ground in fear. The hooded figure drew a long, rattling breath in her direction as if smelling her fear on the air and liking it.

A long robed arm came up to reach for her and it was then she heard the cries of Dante and Vergil in the distance. If she could just find them, she would be safe. She turned to flee, finally finding the strength to scream and run in her terror. She followed the sound of their voices, but could feel the thing gliding only inches behind her, its sweltering breath making the back of her neck sweat.

She felt the fingers, hard as bone lightly touching her shoulders and it made her scream despite still running. The light of the clearing was suddenly within view, and if she could just make it there...

The fingers closed in on her shoulder, and she felt her skin ripping under the pressure of it. Tears rolled down her face, yet somehow she was still pushing forward and soon she was breaching the woods into the clearing. She tossed herself onto the soft grass to see the thing was no longer there. It vanished as if it had never been in the first place.

Amy turned and stood, her eyes going wide as she saw the reddish orange blaze of fire lighting up a suddenly night sky. The house in the clearing was on fire and from within came the cries of Dante and Vergil! She took off running all the while calling their names and trying to find a way in. The front door was not yet consumed and so she grabbed the knob.

"AHH!!" Amy screamed as it burnt her hand from the sheer heat on the other side. She whimpered and placed her sleeve over her hand, using it to fling the door open. Smoke engulfed her and she suddenly broke into frantic coughs as she called out to them. She bowed her head against the intense heat only to see a figure lying at her feet.

Slowly she knelt down to the figure whose long blonde hair glowed in the light dancing around them. The figure was lifeless, and Amy reached a hand out to touch her, fingers lightly taking hold of the hair to remove it from the face. As she pulled back the entire head of hair came off as if it were a wig with black hair just beneath.

The lifeless body sprung to life, grabbed her ankle and pulled her into the burning house, the door slamming shut behind her.

Amy sat up screaming in bed, still feeling the flames licking at her flesh and shivering with horror. Her widened eyes looked wildly around the room but she was no longer in the burning house being spirited away by a black haired figure. She felt like truly crying for the fear that was pulsating in her body. It was so raw and real, as if someone were hiding now in her closet patiently waiting for her to drift back off so it could finish what it had come to do.

Her first thought was to call Dante. It was a heavy feeling of needing reassurance from someone close, but she tried to suppress it. It was only a dream after all, and yet it wasn't the first that had scared her like this. They seemed to be getting worse.

When it seemed her heart had stopped trying to crawl its way out of her throat she sank down against the pillow to breathe in deeply. Despite it she still wanted to talk to someone. Well, not someone. She wanted to talk to Vergil but he hadn't taken a single phone call from her despite numerous attempts at calling to check on him. Somehow she knew hearing his voice would somehow soothe her troubled mind.

She pulled the covers back and got out of bed, padding out into the hall and to the kitchen where her phone sat. She stared at the blinking light indicating it was charging almost hypnotized. Should she call? She reached out, took the phone in hand and slowly dialed his number.

_brrrr..._

Amy bit her lip nervously.

_brrrr..._

She tucked her hair behind her ear.

_brrrrr..._

She felt her throat beginning to constrict.

_brrrr..._

Then the tears began.

"Pick up someone," she said into the receiver.

_brrrr..._

Amy hung up the phone with a sob.

--

"Wait!" Dante called as he ran down the stairs and practically leapt onto the desk to grab the ringing phone. "Hello?" He asked before the line hung up and went dead. "Damn prank callers. And YOU!" He turned to see Vergil sitting calmly in a nearby chair. "Why didn't you pick up the phone?"

"It's not my business, or my job to answer the phone. Besides, it's 11 at night, who would call?"

"Dude, we don't keep normal hours around here. Besides, it could've been Ames!" He snapped back at Vergil.

"I doubt she'd call at this hour..."

"...unless it were an emergency you moron." Dante finished for him.

"It's your own fault for having a rotary phone. If you would upgrade to something with caller ID you wouldn't miss any calls." Vergil smirked, never taking his eyes off the paper he was reading.

"People won't even give me their real names half the time. A caller ID would be useless, because it would always come up as 'private' or 'out of area'. Moron," he mumbled as he leaned against his desk.

Vergil only continued to smirk at the day's headlines and Dante cocked his head to observe him. It had been a couple of days since they had reconciled and it had made quite a change in the over all feel of Devil May Cry. The tension was gone, and with it Vergil seemed to actually be comfortable. From his stance, to the way he walked was different and somehow more relaxed. Even sitting on the couch he seemed rarely aware of much except Dante who he was sure wasn't a threat anymore.

"I like you this way Verge." Dante said as he watched his twin. Vergil glanced up at him out of the corner of his eye before returning it to the paper.

"Speaking of Amy..." Vergil said suddenly putting his paper down and turning to incline his head at Dante. "... I think it's safe to speak on this matter now."

Dante blinked at him for a moment before a wide toothy grin split across his face.

"You finally gonna tell her?" Dante asked smugly as he came to sit by his brother.

"Must it always come back to that? I did not mean I wish to talk about _her_. You mentioning her reminded me of something I wanted to speak with you about." Vergil groaned as he gave Dante a shove on the shoulder. Dante shoved back for good measure because now he could get away with it and he loved that. "I would've mentioned this sooner, but I had to be sure what I saw was real. Remember when I went back to the hotel alone?"

"Sure..." Dante replied uncertain where Vergil was going with this. Vergil had gone back to the old hotel without saying why at the time. No matter how much Dante had pushed previous Vergil kept silent, eyes always casting around to look at whoever was in the room with them.

"The night we rescued that young girl I saw someone up on the second floor, someone who knocked that pillar down that almost flattened you."

"Ahhhh, so that's why you ran off. I thought you were scared to take my thanks... So did you catch them?" Dante added when Vergil narrowed his eyes in his direction.

"No, because I admit they caught me off guard." He said calmly, not liking to admit such a flaw existed within him. Dante too look confused to this fact. "All those years ago when the Amy...thing... happened and that man who tricked us all came to collect me from where you left me it was the same. He could change form at will, and so rather than show his face as Joseph or even his real face he chose instead to mimic my own."

"A doppelganger?"

"No, just a cheap imitation. At the time I confused it with a delusion of the poison you gave me," another hard look at Dante who looked guiltily away. "...so I never thought much of it until whoever that was did the exact same thing."

"You think it was Joseph?" Dante asked curiously.

"I do not know who it was. I scoured that hotel and found nothing to indicate who had been there prior to our interference aside from the demons. Which brings up another good point. All we had killed was gone from the room when I returned."

"Gone, as in dust or..."

"Gone as in removed from the room and taken out back to be buried." Vergil continued his sentence. "I cannot say now if it was the same person whom I saw that night, but someone buried demon corpses as if they were precious to them."

"Dude that's creepy. Burying demons in graves like pets?"

"More like family if you ask me. Out of curiosity I dug one of many graves to find not only were they lovingly wrapped in white sheets, their severed limbs sewn back together, but flowers were placed inside." Vergil responded as he glanced over Dante's shoulder to the window outside. He had an uneasy feeling about all this, but could not place his finger on it.

"Duuuude... That is nasty! Ok, so maybe whoever this thing is was the "bigger" evil Narc was talking about?"

"I don't see how. Neither of us sensed them at all, and even as he stood before me I couldn't sense anything. Hell, I was so taken back by seeing that face again perhaps I didn't notice. If there were demonic origin there though it was faint. Too faint for you and I to pick up on."

Dante looked thoughtful for a minute, his face beginning to match Vergil's brooding one.

"Well, we always have that girl we took from the place. I can see if we can't locate her and maybe she'd be willing to answer a couple questions about her captor."

"That might be worth while." Vergil agreed.

"Should we tell Amy?" Dante asked, eyeing Vergil closely.

"No. No sense in alarming her when this thing could've just been messing with me. Joseph was just the first thing to come to mind at that moment. Regardless I don't think we should ignore this. We'll do the work on our side and leave her be. If it should become necessity then we'll inform her."

"So I guess we'll list this one under "freebie for the good of mankind" then?" Dante sighed, not liking how little paying jobs they had been taking on as of late.

"I guess so, unless you feel justified allowing this one to go free after seeing what he did to that girl." Vergil said seriously.

"Right right... I'll get Lady to check on the history of the hotel in more detail and I believe Trish handed over a card to the girl just in case. She should be able to track her down."

They both sat side by side in silence, not moving or really even able to breathe properly as they listened to nothing at all.

"You feel it too Verge?" Dante asked.

"I do," he replied without turning.

Something was off about this job. They had felt it too the night they came to stand on the hotel grounds but neither had spoken a word of it then. It was the knowledge without reason that they were headed for a rabbit hole quite possibly going in a direction not to their liking. As much as they wanted to believe it was unrelated to their past, both of them couldn't help but feel a familiar foreboding they had saved for the memories of Amy, her brother, and the father who had become a "thing" in the end. Maybe it was seeing the girl tied and left as she was that set them at unease, or the fact whoever it was tortured with the intentions of keeping her alive as long as possible only to endure more. It was calculated and cold.

"It's almost like back then, just like..." Dante paused uncomfortably as he remembered the sick feeling that gripped him at the manic gleam in Joseph's eyes. Amy's horror... It was all too fresh in his mind. "We killed him right?"

"I hope so Dante." Vergil said tonelessly, those words reverberating off the walls in a hollow way that made them both feel empty.

--

She tried to get back to sleep, but for the life of her she just could not do it. Pale moonlight poured in from the windows and the wind outside made the glass shudder with the weight of it.

Every time she closed her eyes, she thought she felt someone grab her ankle. Remembering that clawed hand as it sliced into her shoulder all the way to the bone made her shiver under her covers and her hair stand on end.

She turned over and caught sight of the three photos on her night stand. Two of which had been moved from the living room into her room not long after Dante went away for the first time. She had taken down so many photos' that reminded her of that man... she had kept two.

The first was the photo of her and her brother Nathan as they sat side by side with their arms over one another. No matter what had happened, she could never put this picture away. It represented the way she wanted to remember him, not the bloody and broken body she had held in her arms the night everything changed, but the quiet child who loved her unconditionally.

The second was one of her and her adoptive mother, her Nana who she always thought was just a stranger who had been kind enough to take her in. The truth of her origins though was that of the only mother she knew, the mother she thought she'd lost as a child. Who's once beautiful appearance was reduced to a haggard old woman at the greed and selfish whims of the man who once claimed to love her. Her family history was twisted, but it was all she had... Well, not ALL anymore.

The third picture was the only one she had of herself and Dante taken a few years back, which she kept in a gleaming silver frame at the center of the other two. It shone brightly against the wooden frames of the others, as if it knew how special it was. Amy felt a little better at the thought of how the frame was like Dante. Just too cocky and loud to not be noticed. The memory of the day it was taken brought a smile to her lips.

Dante had gotten her a digital camera for her birthday because she always managed to forget to bring a disposable one whenever she visited him and was bummed to not have any pictures of him. He had surprised her with it and then pulled her outside to take a bunch of pictures of him outside of Devil May Cry. He posed and crooned for the camera, making sure she got the sign he had just purchased in the shot with him for "effect".

"You'll have to send me those. Great advertising material." He'd laughed as he paged through the ones she'd taken. "Now we need one of us together."

"How are we supposed to manage that?"

Dante looked around and suddenly pulled the arm of a passing stranger, demanding he take photos of them. They got into position with Dante's arm around her and just as Dante counted to three the flash went off and so did their "camera man" taking Amy's new camera with him. What came after was Dante giving the guy a heart attack when not only did he catch up with him within 2 seconds, but being pinned to the ground and berated about stealing from him. The guy had managed an apology at Amy through tears and sobbing. Amy tried hard not to laugh at the odd situation with the guy being held by the back of the collar a few feet from the ground in front of her. He gave her the camera back and Dante had let him go at Amy's request.

"I think he's learned his lesson." She said noting the guy wet himself before he ran off.

While Dante and she took other photo's that day, what Amy found upon returning home was a partial picture snapped when the thief tried to run off. Amy had a look of sudden shocked stupidity and Dante's mouth hung open in his attempt to yell "stop" at the guy. It was the least flattering picture either had ever taken, but Amy had framed it anyway. It seemed to encapsulate their entire relationship. Messed up, but funny regardless.

Some nights she wondered if she wished hard enough Vergil's image would fill the void on her other side of the picture. Her mind always managed to find him in these quiet moments. It almost wasn't real yet that he was back, because when she called them it was the same. Dante answered and she never talked with Vergil at all. She selfishly hoped he would pick up, but had to remind herself of her silent vow to lay off him and to not push. She hated being ignored, but she was sure she'd hate him cutting her off completely because she pushed too far too soon.

Amy turned from the photos to try and get comfortable again. The thought of the two seemed to at least ease the fear in her mind and comfort the rapid beating of her heart. Enough so she felt herself doze off for a bit.

She had no idea what time it was when she was startled from her sleep, and it didn't' register what had woken her. She tried to turn over to get back to sleep but felt something very heavy on her legs. It startled her into a sitting position as she searched for what it was that held her.

Her eyes widened in dumbstruck horror as she saw two bodies laying across her bed with wet blood smeared all over her blankets. The dead eyes wide open in shock and grotesquely malformed. The mouths were cut at the corners and sewn back together with a thick string. The abdomens were bare and extended in a twisted way with matching stitches done in a Y shape from collar to bowel.

The forms were motionless, side by side as she curled up to press herself against her headboard. She began shaking her head back and forth the longer she gazed. Then finally the scream that had been building in her came to fruition on her lips.

It was Dante and Vergil...

Amy leapt from the bed, knowing they were dead and mortified beyond belief. She ran for the door to her room, needing to get that sight out of her face. How, WHY? What was happening?!

She wrenched the door open and screamed when she saw the black hooded figure standing in her pathway. Its hand lifted and it sliced a large gash across her mouth. A grotesque grin to match that of the two in the bed.

Amy sat bolt upright in bed, because she could hear someone screaming. As she became more alert though she realized that it was she who was screaming. She didn't stop, or couldn't. Something was wrong... Then she remembered the dream. Her voice died almost as if it had been cut. _Cut..._

Someone began pounding on the front door before she heard a muffled call, then the sound of the door opening. She watched her bedroom archway with wide eyes before the superintendent of her building filled the doorway.

"Amy, what's going on?" Eddie asked as he held up a baseball bat. He looked hurriedly around the room as if he was going to find someone standing there then back at her when he saw no one.

Amy just blinked at him, suddenly unable to remember how to speak. The truth was she didn't know what was going on. She'd had scary dreams in the past but they were random and never with similar themes. This was the second time she'd seen the hooded figure. While she did not see Vergil or Dante die in her first dream there were heavy implications she didn't like. Then seeing them this time...

"B-bad dream," she whispered tonelessly as her eyes fell to the spot near the end of her bed where she had seen them only seconds before. She broke down in tears startling the super.

"Oh," he said with a bit of relief. "It sounded like someone was getting murdered in here."

When Amy's horrified gaze met his at these words he took a nervous step backwards.

"Y-you sure you're OK? Need anything?" Eddie asked. Amy could tell he just wanted to get out of there. Did she really look that bad?

"I'll be fine. Thanks Eddie." She said as she tried to clear her face reassuringly. It felt painful to do and apparently he could see it by the look he gave her. She waved him away though and sank to lay on her pillows as he left the room followed by the front door.

As she turned her eyes caught sight of Dante's photo again and she felt her eyes prick.

_Screw this..._ She thought as she tossed her covers off and reached for her cell phone. She would call them all night if she had to.


	11. Silver Lining

**First off I need to apologize to you guys. During the small time I've taken from writing this story I went back to re-read through Bleed For Me and the beginning of Bleed It Out only to find I made a big boo boo.**

**I think I came on a little too strong with Amy's character in the previous chapters of this story and I also just bogged down a couple chapters. My reasoning at the time being that people change, and after the prequel I had planned for this story (Remember "Twisted"? lol Still planning to write it... sometime.) I figured Amy would be a lot stronger than she once was. Now I just want to take a step back and write her as I always use to.**

**So I am working to rectify that in this and coming chapters. I want to try and recapture all I liked about Amy from the first story which, in my opinion, she lacked at times in this story. So hopefully I can get over this slump I've been in and pull her back in line. Any suggestions of what you enjoy about her will help me shape her. :)**

**Secondly there is a really messed up "poem" in this chapter which does not belong to me. It is actually a puzzle from Silent Hill 3 when you play the game on **_**Hard**_** puzzle difficulty. Which is really funny when you read through it and realize the poem is supposed to help you figure out a 4 digit lock code...lol Of course when you READ the contents of the "poem".... you probably won't find anything to giggle at. :0\ Creepiness man. I think I scared my beta reader...lol -pokes at DevilWriterN- See what I subject the poor girl to?**

**Oh, and the poem itself is made up of italics and bold text. Italics represents the 'nice' handwriting and bold is the 'creepy' handwriting.**

**As always read, review, and hopefully enjoy the long awaited reunion. :) **

* * *

**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 11**

"Ohhhh, it's on now Vergy..." Dante smirked as he eyed his brother over his hand of cards.

Vergil only lifted an eyebrow at being called _Vergy _by his younger twin. He looked down at his own cards, then back to his brother.

"Bring it bitch."

"Honestly, if you are going to get crude I'm folding now." Vergil sighed.

"Nothing wrong with a little healthy competition..." Dante snickered over his cards. "Set down or back off bro." Vergil shook his head disapprovingly, with only two cards left in his hand.

"Two tens" Vergil said as he set both cards on the deck face down. Dante eyed him pointedly, licking his lips as he considered the stone face before him. A tense moment hung between them...

"Bullshit..." Dante said low with sparkling eyes.

Vergil let out a smug huff that resembled a laugh as he reached his hand forward and slowly turned the cards over to reveal... Two tens.

"Noo!! God damn it all to fucking..."

"Mouth." Vergil hissed cutting Dante off as he tossed the cards down.

"One more time, c'mon! I know I can beat you!" Dante protested as Vergil began putting the cards away.

"Which is why we've played 11 hands and I've won them all?" He mused.

"Smug bastard... Who'd want to play with you anyway."

Dante stood and stretched, letting Vergil clean up all on his own. It was getting close to closing time and beside the hang up earlier they'd had no call at all. He really didn't like having so little to do, especially now that he could drag Vergil along with him. They were like a team now... the dynamic duo... without the costumes.

_brrrrrrr_

"It's mine!" Dante yelled as he jumped to grab the phone, watched by Vergil who obviously was making no attempt to grab it first. "Devil May Cry..." Dante answered with a small smirk. There was a short pause, breath and then a small voice.

"Dante?"

"Well, well, well. Long time no hear little lady," he grinned as he sat in his chair before tilting back to put his feet up. He raised his eyebrows up and down at Vergil while mouthing _Amy_. Vergil sighed and picked up a magazine to preoccupy himself. Then realizing it was one of Dante's porn mags quickly tossed it away to Dante's delight.

"I'm sorry, I've been preoccupied. Is Vergil there with you?" Amy asked.

Dante took the phone and handed it to Vergil who quickly waved his hands, not quite ready yet to start down that route with her.

"Sorry Ames, he went out for a walk." Dante said after flipping Vergil off for not answering her call. Vergil rolled his eyes and turned to inspect the room.

"Oh," her voice came low and for the first time Dante noticed something seemed off. "Could you give him a message?"

"You OK Amy?" Dante asked, sitting up when there was silence on the other line.

"...I'm... fine, just been working a lot of overtime. Been having trouble sleeping too. Would you laugh if I said I missed you?"

"Of course you miss me! I'm such a lovable guy in comparison to old grump ass. You can't help but love me!" He smirked watching Vergil trying his best to ignore their conversation.

"I do you know," her voice said with a tone of desperate seriousness. "Both of you, very, very much."

Dante was quiet at this, not knowing how to respond.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Dante asked.

"Can't a girl tell her friends how she feels? I'm not completely heartless you know," she said trying to mask the obvious quiver in her voice.

"Amy," he said in a not convinced tone. "Tell me what's wrong."

Vergil was no longer trying to ignore them, but now watching Dante for signs of possible trouble.

"It's nothing," she replied and her voice sounded too soft.

"Spill it or I'm coming to get you." Dante warned. She laughed on the other line.

"You say that as if it's a threat," she sighed before pausing. "I just had a really messed up dream and I'm still reeling from it. I know it was just a dream, but I can't stop shaking or push away this feeling of dread. I just needed to hear your voices and know you were OK."

Dante looked up at Vergil who was staring at him pointedly, waiting to find out what was suddenly troubling Dante.

"We're fine, I swear. What kind of dream was it?"

"I really don't want to talk about it right now. I just wanted to talk to you and... make sure you were all right. Maybe we could plan to get together soon?" Amy asked. Dante wasn't put at ease at all by her words because he could tell she wasn't comforted by them either.

"I'll come tonight Amy, you just say the word." Dante finally said. He heard a sharp intake of breath from the other side.

"You would, wouldn't you?" Amy's voice broke mid sentence and he could almost hear the tears in her voice. Then she gave a nervous laugh to mask it. "Oh, I'm just being a sissy. Don't worry about me Dante." She took her time to compose herself. "Anyway, we'll plan to get together soon. I should have some time off coming to me because of all the overtime I've been putting in."

"You sure?"

"I am. Tell Vergil... tell him to take care of himself and you. I don't know what I'd do if... I love you guys, remember that."

"Amy..."

"I feel better now. I think I'm going to try and get some sleep, we'll talk soon." She said with a slightly more normal tone. Dante paused to listen to the static that sounded when neither spoke and listened closely for any give away from her breathing. It was rapid, even if she thought she was masking it well. "OK Dante?"

"Yeah, I'll be in touch soon and we'll set something up. Call me if you need anything though, OK?"

"Sure will. Goodnight."

Dante held the phone to his ear for a few moments after he heard her hang up before setting it down on the cradle. The entire time Vergil eyed him as if the two were mentally discussing what was going on. They could always feel the others temperament and Dante was giving off distressed vibes.

"Dante?" Vergil asked when Dante seemed to space out.

"Hey Verge... you feeling up for a road trip?"

"Road... trip?" Vergil sounded the words out doubtfully.

"Sure! You, me, the open road and the wind in our hair... Well, maybe in mine...," he grinned as he eyed Vergil's slicked back hair that he had joked plenty of times was made of cast iron metal. _Wind through his hair probably whistles._

"Stop changing the subject. What of Amy?" Vergil asked peevishly obviously catching onto the joke.

"Why... you concerned?"

"Of course I am you ignoramus." Vergil said looking a bit away from him. That answer surprised Dante. "Use your brain for once. We conclude something may be coming from our past related to Amy and suddenly we get a distressing phone call from her. Now tell me what she said."

"And here I thought you were concerned for _her. _Insensitive ass." Dante growled as he came to sit next to Vergil.

"What did she say?" Vergil pressed. Dante rolled his eyes.

"She wouldn't tell me what was bothering her except for bad dreams. I could tell something was wrong though. She just didn't sound like herself." Dante paused for a moment. "Actually, I've been noticing a decline in over all moods when she calls. I attributed it to _someone _refusing to take her calls... but maybe it could be something else."

Vergil frowned downward, with a deep crease in his brow.

"C'mon Verge. Let's go see Ames. Even if it's nothing, wouldn't you want to see the smile on her face when we show up?" Dante asked hopefully. Secretly he had hoped Vergil would take the girls calls if only because of having seen first hand what Vergil's "death" had done to Amy over the years. Now that Vergil was back, and willing to try and right his past Dante thought the two could heal some of those old wounds if only he would talk with her. If they eventually came to the conclusion they were no good for each other then at least they had tried to do it right. It still amazed Dante that whatever feelings they had for one another had sprung from Vergil's hate. Any pair who could find affection in cold darkness surely would not snuff so easily.

Vergil looked thoughtful and Dante wanted to slug him for not just saying _yes _already. Then again Vergil had never been the type to just agree to something like this and would drag the moment out because he was a bastard. So Dante waited.

"I will accompany you. In the interest of trying to figure out what it was I saw back at that hotel."

"I think I'm going to punch you." Dante answered as he put his hands over his face and shook his head. Vergil just eyed him to see if he really meant that, but Dante knew even if he tried Vergil was strong enough now to prevent it from happening. "Go and pack some bags. We leave in the morning... grump ass."

--

A few days came and went without another dream, and Amy was relieved to find her recently overturned life was getting back to normal. While she still felt her stomach drop out at the thoughts of the dreams she'd been having, she was somewhat numb to them now and had found the strength in phone calls from Dante to move past them.

She lost the dreams, yet she gained a mother hen in calls from Dante made daily from his cell. Even though when he called she acted annoyed by them... secretly she was glad to hear from him and internally thanked him for knowing her well enough to check in. Maybe he was doing it out of concern, but he always had seemed to know when she feeling low and she wondered if maybe he didn't do it for her as well.

It made her happy, and yet sad all at the same time. She had grown so close to him over the years, and yet she didn't think she and Vergil could've ever been as close with how things had been going for them. _God... it always comes back to him._

Amy arrived home exhausted from another long day of working. Tomorrow she had the first day off in almost a month and she was looking forward to it. While Dante and she talked about her visiting the night she'd had that dream he did not bring it up again after. She didn't want to be a bother and figured maybe he was really overloaded with missions since he seemed to be on the road the last few days whenever he called her. So she wasn't going to push the subject.

She used her key to get through the buildings door into the main stairway where she went directly for her mailbox. Normally she waited until the following morning to pick it up, but she noticed that something was wedged in the crack of her box.

Amy reached out and found a post card. The cover of it was an artist she knew well, because he was one of her favorites. The painting was called '_Lamia on her Knees_' by John William Waterhouse. It depicted a red haired girl in a lithe pink gown kneeling at the feet of a dark haired knight in armor. She was touching his hand lightly as she gazed up into his face. Amy had always loved Waterhouse's paintings for the historical romance each one seemed to capture, as well as the sheer love put into them.

She turned the card over and saw delicate handwriting in red ink scrawled across the back in what looked to be a poem. The more she looked at it though she began to notice that the hand writing changed from beautiful to deranged as it went along. She suddenly felt a cold sensation trickle down her spine.

_Pure eyes, green like a glassy bead--- _

_You are always looking at me _

_and __**I am always looking at you**__. _

_Ah, you're too meek --- _

_beautiful, unspoiled: _

_thus I'm so sad, I _**suffer**_--- _

_and so happy, it _**hurt**_s. _

**I want to hurt you **

_and destroy myself _

_What would you think if you knew how I felt?_

_Would you simply smile, _

_not saying a word? _

_Even curses from your mouth _

_would be as beautiful as pearls. _

_I place my left hand on your _

_face as though we were to kiss. _

**Then I suddenly shove my thumb **

**deep into your eye socket. Abruptly, decisively, **

**like drilling a hole. **

_And what would it feel like? _

_Like jelly? _

_Trembling with ecstasy, I obscenely _

_mix it around and around:_** I must **

**taste the warmth of your blood.**

_How would you _**scream**_?_

_Would you shriek "It hurts! _**It hurts!**_" as cinnabar-red tears _

_stream from your crushed eye? _

**You can't know the maddening **

**hunger **_I've felt in the midst of _

_our kisses, so many of them _

_I've lost count. _

_As though drinking in your cries, _

_I bring my hopes to fruition: _

**biting your tongue, shredding it, **

**biting at your lips as if tasting **

**your lipstick. **

_Oh, what euphoric heights I would _

_reach, having my _**desire**_s fulfilled_

_like a _**greed**_y, _**glutton**_ous cur. _

_I longed, too, for your cherry-tinted _

_cheeks, _**tasty enough to bewitch my **

**tongue. **_I would surely be healed, _

_and would cry like a child. _

**And how is your tender ear? **

_It brushes against my cheek; _

_I want it to creep up to my lips _**so **

**I can sink my teeth into its flesh. **

_Your left ear, always hearing words _

_whispered sweet as pie --- _

_I want it to hear my true feelings. _

_I never lied, no... _

_but I did have my secrets. _

_Ah, but what must you think of me? _

_Do you hate me? _**Are you afraid? **

_As though inviting you to the _**agony**

_at the play's end; if you wish, you _

_could destroy me --- I wouldn't care. _

_As you wish, you may _**destroy me **

_--- I wouldn't care._

Amy abruptly dropped the card to the ground and wildly began to look around. She suddenly felt sick, unsafe, and afraid. Feelings were creeping up her spine that someone was watching her. Whoever had written this disgusting letter knew where she lived... Her stomach dropped out and she was pretty sure she was going to be sick. Who would send something so horrible?! Then her dreams as of late came to her mind. _The black figure..._

Amy turned to run for her apartment before letting out a scream as someone blocked her path.

"Amy, calm down!" Dante yelled as he reached a hand out for her. "It's just us... What's wrong?" He continued as he saw she looked ready to pass out. Instead she went to him and threw her arms around him.

"I'm so glad to see you," she said into his shoulder somewhat hysterically. Dante was there, she was safe. It was then as she opened her eyes that she saw Vergil standing behind him, his eyes on her. She swallowed hard as Dante pulled from her. At seeing Vergil standing there she felt her resolve cracking, her eyes pricking with tears of joy at seeing his comforting face at the height of her fear. She took a few steps towards him, her feet feeling heavy as her breath came quick with the feelings overwhelming her. It was just too much all at once. _He came. He finally..._

"Whoa, Ames!"

She heard Dante's voice at a distance as her eyes rolled back in her head, and felt someone grab a hold of her when the darkness set in. She was so tired, and Vergil... It was like the insomnia that had plagued her since she'd last seen him found its cure in the comfort of seeing him. _It's not too late... there's still time to tell him._

"Amy?"

She opened her eyes, unsure of how much time had passed to find herself on her couch. Dante was just beside her, balancing on the pads of his feet and she felt warmth somewhere by her wrist. Slowly her eyes moved to Vergil who was standing next to him checking her pulse against his watch.

"What...?" She began to question before Dante spoke up.

"'Well, you were all hot to see me but when you saw 'Creepy' you passed out.. If he hadn't caught you I think you would've kissed floor." Dante mused as he patted her arm with a knowing smirk. She smiled a bit before her eyes turned to Vergil who obviously disliked being referred to as _creepy._

"My... doctor," she sighed dramatically up at him, receiving a chuckle from Dante and a raised eyebrow from Vergil.

"How do you feel?" Vergil asked.

"Tired, but oddly happy."

Amy moved to sit up, feeling like a complete dork for passing out like she did. Despite not having those dreams she still had issues sleeping at night. Seeing them _both _there had brought on such a wave of emotion especially after that postcard...

It was then she remembered why she had knocked into Dante in the first place. She scanned the room and saw no signs of the post card anywhere. She didn't know if she should tell them or...

"So you're good then? Great. Vergil, you can take over from here right?" Dante asked suddenly standing and grabbing his coat.

"What?" Vergil asked perplexed.

"You're not staying?" Amy asked feeling disappointment.

"We are, but there is one thing I need to check on while I'm in town. One of the other reasons I wanted to come out here. Don't worry though, Verge is going to stay here with you till I return." Dante replied as he turned towards Vergil who obviously had not known about this part of the plan. "Right Vergil?"

Vergil gave him a look that didn't quite cover the contempt he was feeling at being tricked, and despite this fact Amy internally laughed because the two were acting like siblings. Somehow Vergil's annoyance with Dante meant that something had changed since she last saw them.

"I won't be gone long." Dante continued when Vergil didn't either agree or protest. He swooped down to give Amy a kiss on the forehead. "Let Vergil fill you in on the plan and try not to get too cozy while I'm gone."

Amy blushed at his insinuation and just couldn't look at Vergil's reaction to that. It was better not to know what he thought of it. Dante patted Vergil on the shoulder before heading out the door.

"So..." Vergil began, not wasting any time. "Care to explain this?"

He pulled from his coat the postcard she'd dropped in the entryway earlier. Her eyes fell to it, and then lifted up to Vergil. He seemed to see the question before her lips moved.

"I picked it up while you were greeting Dante. I felt it best he not see it right away, since he's been so worried about you. This surely would only upset him." Vergil said smoothly as he tossed it onto the coffee table.

"I don't know anything about it other than someone stuck it in my mailbox today."

He sighed before taking off his jacket, laying it neatly over a chair before coming to sit on the couch with her.

"And these dreams?"

"Nightmares," she corrected with an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach as she gazed at the deranged postcard. She flipped it over so she couldn't see the handwriting anymore.

"How long have you had them?"

"A few months now. They seemed to become more frequent, until they recently stopped all together."

"Why did you not contact us?" He asked a little harshly. She almost could hear him say _stupid girl_.

"I did... but the person I wanted to talk to them about wasn't taking my calls." She said softly as she kept her eyes straight. "Dante worries too easily, even you said it. That's why I've been calling and asking for you."

After a minute of silence she turned to look at him, but he was eyeing the postcard as if he could find something on it that would give away its writer. This wasn't going how she wanted it to at all, and it was bothering her the longer he remained quiet. Had so much time passed that she felt she could no longer connect with him? Their last meeting had been so disastrous...

"You OK?" She finally asked. His eyes turned to hers and she had to force herself not to look away. She had stood up to this man when he'd threatened to _kill _her, and yet somehow when things were calm she felt her face flush at a single glance from him.

"Dante mentioned 'the plan' that I am to pass on to you. At first I was doubting it was even necessary, but after seeing this," he pointed to the post card. "I'm convinced that you should accompany us back. He is concerned for your well being."

"And you?" Amy asked point blank.

"There was an incident recently that could possibly be tied to your past, and I am beginning to think you would be safer if you came with us. It benefits us both in that I can further my inquiries into the prior incident and if someone is harassing you they might just be foolish enough to try this in our domain." He replied scientifically.

"Thanks for your concern." Amy said dryly. That wasn't exactly what she was hoping for.

"Of course your safety is of top priority..." He offered causing her to smile at him a bit before he ruined the moment. "Dante is rather worried about you."

Amy huffed and sat back. She was beginning to find that as much as she'd told herself she'd have patience with Vergil that at times she just wanted to kick him.

"You should rest, it is late and I'm sure Dante will want to head out early." He said as he stood.

This was no good... At this rate she might never have the chance to talk to him alone, and yet as she watched him standing there she couldn't find the words. There were times when you just knew the time was right, and somehow she felt if she said what she wanted to now it might not have the same kind of impact. Strange, but it was what kept her from saying or doing anything rash. So instead she asked a question that popped into her head.

"How long am I to stay with you?" Amy asked before he turned to give her a quizzical look. "Well, I have jobs, and bills to keep up with. I can't just up and leave without knowing I'll still have something to come home to."

"Until we figure out what is going on At this point there is no telling when exactly that will be. Besides, all of this will mean nothing if you're dead correct?"

"Optimistic as ever there, eh Vergil?" Amy deadpanned as she stood tiredly.

"As always," he replied with a bow of his head. "We will work out the details in the morning. You needn't worry about any of it. Dante has an uncanny knack for..."

"Getting me fired."

Vergil paused at this admission. If she were to lose another job, this would be the third time since she met that Dante had caused her to lose one.

"Then again I guess I can give you the blame for losing the first one," she smirked as she crossed her arms. "After all, you were the one who kidnapped me."

"Hardly. I seem to recall you giving yourself to me at the time," he stated. Amy blushed, remembering her own words to him then.

_Take me..._

"Uhh... Right. Well... goodnight then Vergil."

Amy paused for a moment before walking quickly to her room. She did not want him to see her blushing like an idiot at the simple memory. He hadn't even been kind to her at that time, yet she could recall what it felt like even then as he closed his arms around her to take her away. It had surprised her that it felt... familiar. Cold face.. Warm hands...

As she stepped into her room though she realized she hadn't given him anything for either of them to sleep with. Amy went to her bedroom closet to pull down some extra blankets and pillows before heading back into the living room.

She found Vergil standing, looking very hard at the piano in the living room as if in sudden recognition.

"You still have this thing?" He asked no doubt sensing her presence.

"Of course," she replied as she moved and set the blankets down on the couch. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You could've at least repaired the outside of it. It's quite ugly."

"I think it's beautiful just as it is." Amy said with a smirk as she came to stand by it. "New and shiny is nice, but there is something far more beautiful and unique about the worn and scarred. This piano has so many stories with only a glance. Ours..." Amy knelt down to put out a hand, touching the nick Vergil had made with Yamato after they saw one another for the first time. "...is right here."

She ran a finger over the fine cut and couldn't help but smile. She would never repair the outside, no matter what anyone said about the attractiveness of the piano. Even Vergil couldn't sway her on this.

"Pointless nostalgia is a human's greatest flaw." Vergil said thoughtfully. Amy looked up and noted he too was staring down at her.

"Yet you were nostalgic enough to send it to me." Amy stated with a smile up at him. He didn't reply to that, apparently not having a response. Amy stood and walked over to the couch. "There's your blankets for the night, make yourself at home."

Without another word Amy went to her room, hoping she had at least left him with something to think about.

--

He would kill Dante when he returned...

The apartment was unfamiliar, yet familiar because her scent was everywhere. Her words rang in his head. Dante had tricked him from the very beginning, no doubt planning on abandoning him overnight. He did not mind her company so much now, but there was still some tension there that neither could seem to cope with.

He wondered why that was, as the girl wasn't really doing anything to make him tense. Yet he found subtle things, such as a flick of her eyes or upturn of her mouth made the devil inside purr like a kitten. It had to be the scent of her perfume that was eating away at his brain. He wouldn't show it though, or let his guard down if he could help it. He knew in what remnants of a heart still existed within his body that he would not get the girl wrapped up in his life after everything that had happened to her previously.

He'd come to the conclusion a long while ago that if such feelings existed that it was best to keep them from her ears. He knew this even more so now after the conversation he'd had with Dante on the way there.

"I don't think I'd ever seen anyone so torn up. Amy may be strong in regards to some things, but she doesn't handle loss very well. It was the first time I..." Dante paused.

"You what?" Vergil asked.

"Well... we all mourn differently. You should know I'm not a man to cry easily. Even with your death I held it all in, maybe because I still didn't understand the fact that I killed _you._ It hurt for a long time to find out at the last moment that it was you and there was no taking it back." Dante mumbled uncomfortably, obviously never thinking to tell Vergil this.

"No one is perfect I'm coming to find rather cruelly." Vergil said evenly. As far as he was concerned their past was just that since both had done things they regretted.

"Yeah... When I had to tell Amy the truth though, when I couldn't hide it from her any longer it was like mourning you all over again. She just wouldn't stop denying it through her tears. You'd think she'd be almost suicidal with how much pain she went through those first few months but I think she clung to a hope that you weren't dead. Hell, maybe she was torturing herself, possibly enduring the pain that followed my confession by living on. I admit her tears made my heart ache for you, for myself and to end her suffering."

Dante was looking out the window of the car, and Vergil could've sworn he saw Dante's lip tremble just slightly before he cleared his throat and grinned.

"Everyone wrote you off as dead, but Amy held on to those hopes up until the day she smacked you at the shop."

Now Vergil stood in her apartment staring at remnants of a life he was not a part of and possibly for a good reason. He had caused her that pain, and with his new found outlook on his life with Dante came a new guilt every time he did not answer her phone calls. It got worse with each one, and now after hearing her reasoning for calling him it only made it worse.

What had his plans been if he succeeded in killing Mundus? He'd never really considered the possibility that he would be able to return to the human world, and yet that was somewhat a lie. In his earlier days he had planned to come back for his twin, to at least clear his conscience. After the night with Amy on the roof though... ideas had planted themselves in his head that included coming back for her. It was a fantasy of course, since a human and a half devil could never capture time like that. Point in case his mother and father. He refused to put Amy in his mother's place knowing what became of her.

That did not mean however that he would stop protecting her. He did not show it at the time, but seeing that post card had made him so angry he could've thrown something. Somehow he knew in his mind it was linked to the thing he'd seen at the hotel purely because of the familiar chill that ran up his spine at reading it. The idea of any living man or creature confessing such things to Amy set him on edge. He had vowed in private as she held him close all those years ago that he would do everything in his power to preserve the smile on her face and the light in those eyes. Even if he could never have her, he damn well would make sure she was always around to smile and glance at him.

In his thoughts he became aware of a muffled cry, causing his ears to perk up. It came in low moans, then a loud high pitched cry...from Amy's room.

--

Someone was there... in the darkness of her apartment she could hear the presence calling out to her in such a harsh voice it could've been nails on a chalk board.

_Mine... why do you hide?_

She was hiding in the midst of the darkness as it cried out mournfully, in frustration at not yet finding her.

_It will only hurt for a while... I PROMISE.... They didn't feel it when I slit their throats either..._

Amy put her hand over her mouth to stifle the cry trying to make its way out of her throat. He killed them... Vergil and Dante were dead... She let out a covered mouth sob as another agonized cry from her pursuer grew closer to her huddled corner. She couldn't see anything, not even her own hand in her face yet she knew she was in her bedroom.

_Amy... Amy... Amy... Amy... AMY... AMY.... AMY... AmY... aMy... AMY!!!!_

Sudden silence pervaded the room, so thick it was far worse than hearing that voice. She heard her heart pumping frantically in her ears as she tried to stifle her breathing. One moment there was nothing but the darkness and the static silence and then heavy breathing directly up to the side of her face.

_heh...heh....heh....heh._

The breathing went on and on, getting louder as the face extended towards her own. She felt hot, slimy breath mere inches from her cheek. Amy remained quiet, shutting her eyes and turning from it with no where left to run. The breathing stopped instantly as silence once again took over. Then without warning it screamed in her face and the cry that she'd been holding back let itself escape.

Amy jolted awake at someone shaking her, eyes looking around wildly for the source of the disturbance to see Vergil kneeling over her with his hands on her shoulders.

Amy didn't think, only moved instinctively to throw her arms around his neck and pull him down to lay against her. The wave of relief that coursed through her forced a choked sob from her throat as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"God...," she choked squeezing him tightly as her fingers clasped to the back of his shirt.

"Amy?" His voice suddenly came startled and confused, almost cut off as if she'd knocked the wind out of him.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." She whispered weakly. She felt his arms once again find her shoulders and begin to push her away from him. "No, not yet. Please. I just need to know this isn't another dream. Please." She begged desperately as she clung tighter to him. Her voice was high and frantic as she made her request. She felt his hands ease off of her and return to the mattress.

She heard him swallow by her ear but only continued to cling to him as if her very life depended on that single moment between them. If she let him go now she would drown in that darkness with no hope of resurfacing and everything... everyone she ever loved would be lost forever.

"Forgive me," she cried in a small voice as her hands pulled on his shirt to get him even closer. "I'm so sorry for everything."

He was quiet at her words, but she preferred it that way because there had been something eating at her for months. It was what she'd always called to say to him, but he had never picked up the phone when asked for. Somehow her mind secretly felt relieved that she wouldn't have to say it for fear of his reaction. It was so stupid. She had become stronger hadn't she? Yet she found whenever he was near that things were just as how she remembered them.

"I lied to you Vergil." Amy whispered shakily as her crying began to subside. He eased back from her and she gave him some room until she was once again laying and he was sitting by her on the bed. The only thing left touching was his hand in hers, which she couldn't seem to let go of just yet.

"Everyone lies." Vergil said as a matter of fact. "Makes no difference now."

"It does if it hurts someone." She responded as a couple lingering tears fell as she looked at him. "If things hadn't been as messed up as they were..." She paused considering her words carefully. "I use to have dreams that I would wake up and find you just as you are now. Always I held you because I was so relieved. Because I always hoped even after Dante told me you were dead that somehow you weren't. I never once slapped you, or treated you the way I did... The more I've thought of it the more ashamed I am at myself."

He watched her unblinkingly before she leaned forward to lay her head against his arm.

"I could've lost you. I still might, so I can't put up this front anymore. I don't know where any of this is going or if any of this really means anything but you have to know I never forgot you. Not once were you out of my mind. Whatever you endured you were never alone, because I never could give you up. I may be stupid, weak, and boringly human, but I do care. If you take nothing else with you in the end... just know that."

Her face turned up to see what he was thinking to find a slight blush on his face, but the eyes remained cool and collected even if the rouge remained.

"Thank you." He said politely after a few moments of silence passed between them. She partly cried, partly laughed at that response because it was what he would say. "You should go back to sleep, it's still early."

"Will you stay? Just until I fall asleep?" She asked as she gave him a pleading look. He sniffed, cocked an eyebrow and sighed. He pulled the covers up as she laid back, clicked off the table lamp and just sat there as she curled her hand further into his own. She turned her body as well to lay closer to where he sat.

It wasn't exactly what she wanted, but if was more than he had ever given her before and so she took it without complaint. Problem was with him right there with her she didn't want to close her eyes yet. He was watching her closely, but he didn't have an annoyed look. It was somewhat thoughtful or rather uncomprehending at what she had just said. She wanted him to trust her, to learn to be comfortable around her. She was a fool though if she thought she could keep her distance from him both emotionally and physically. Maybe it would've been easier if she didn't feel so at peace whenever he was around stemming from those quiet nights spent together as children. How strange that despite her inability to not be intimidated by his presence at times, no one else had ever been of more comfort to her.

He had been her reluctant protector as a child, and even now as an adult she never felt more at ease than with him watching over her.

Amy wondered if he would ever tell her why it was he always watched her with this same look both when she approached him and when he thought she wasn't paying attention at all.

She took a risk and pulled his hand to lay under her cheek as she curled against the pillow, figuring the man would not leave until she fell asleep. So by keeping herself awake she was depriving him of rest.

"Don't pull away," she requested softly as she finally closed her eyes.

"Ok." He replied gently.


	12. Good Morning

**Hello! Thanks to one of my curious reader's I decided to let you guys in on a fun factoid for the **_**Bleed for Me**_** series. What I originally wrote was nothing what I actually posted...lol The story's original title was **_**The Island, **_**Amy's name was Eve, her hair was black not red, and she lived in a city basically over run with demons. The only thing that was transferred over to BFM was that odd "electricity" thing Amy had going on with Vergil in the BFM story. Yup, that's all. Everything else was scrapped, and with good reason.**

**God... reading it now makes my head hurt because it is the epitome of a Mary Sue story. I'm sooo glad I trashed and rewrote it to what BFM turned out to be. =0/ Still don't know what I was drinking. =0D Maybe one day I'll delete the original file, but I think I keep it around as a "what not to write" guide...lmao**

**This chapter was fun as hell to write, and I am proud of it. Hopefully you guys will agree that it makes you as happy reading it as I was when writing it. :D If not, ya'll know where the stones are.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 12**

The next morning Amy awoke with a bit of a start as some sudden and loud noise jarred her from her peaceful slumber. Slowly she let her eyes adjust before she got up to see what it was.

She padded her way into the living room and couldn't help but smile at the sight that presented itself.

Dante lay on the hard floor on his back, his face turned towards her, mouth open and snoring loudly. Now she knew what had woken her. He was still fully clothed with his big boots poking out of the blanket slung over him. It looked as if Dante had been left to sleep without a blanket or pillow, but had grabbed at Vergil's blanket while he slept, because it was over both of them partially.

Vergil was curled in a fetal position on the couch facing the back of it, even closing himself off as he slept. Unlike Dante he had removed his boots and laid his jacket and vest neatly over one of the chairs. He was still, unruffled and quiet in comparison to his twin who was spread in every direction on the floor.

Amy shook her head. Today was the day she moved beyond the past and tried to just be someone to Vergil even if it was only a friend. After what had happened the night before she realized that something was different about Vergil from the last time they spoke, and the fear that had gripped her had been out shadowed by the relief of finding him beside her upon waking. She didn't want to be bitter anymore about her feelings, or take him for granted. She would cherish what little she could get from him and this time she would stick with it.

She thought she'd wake them with breakfast, but decided to grab the comforter off her bed first.

When she returned to the living room she approached the two, pulling the blanket they shared to lay over Dante before she pulled her comforter up over Vergil. She could finally see his face, and even in sleep he looked slightly mad about something. Then she noticed that a feather from the down pillow he laid on had pushed its way out and stuck itself in his hair. If Dante saw that upon waking Vergil might never hear the end of it, so Amy reached her hand out to remove it.

The second she touched him though he seemed to jump, startling her as he grabbed a hold of her arm. Vergil pulled her down to lay partially under him but more pressed against the back of the couch, with her knees bent over the left side of his hip.

"H-hey.." Amy said as she pushed at him. He looked towards her as if not really seeing her. Vergil huffed deeply through his nose, blinked around, rubbed at his eyes before determining there was no threat and laying his head down on her shoulder. "Vergil?"

"Hmmm?"

"Good morning." Amy whispered not really knowing what else she needed to say to make him realize he wasn't snuggling a pillow anymore. At her words his body tensed before his head turned up to finally see her. "Hi."

"G-good morning," he said back to her as if trying to determine whether or not this was just some odd dream or if she was really there.

Then out of nowhere Dante propped himself up to lean on his elbows on both her legs and Vergil's hip.

"Can I join or is this an exclusive party?" He grinned with tired eyes and hair stuck to the side of his face. Vergil groaned as he tried to elbow Dante in the face but Amy couldn't help but laugh at the current situation. What she would've given to have captured this moment on camera. "C'mon Verge! Move it over."

Dante crawled over them with many laughing "ow's" from Amy and grunts of anger from Vergil as Dante buried the girl, snaking his arms around the two of them.

"Get off already Dante!" Vergil hissed.

"Can't... breathe." Amy groaned.

"Breath isn't required for group hugs. Especially when all three of us haven't brushed our teeth yet."

Finally Vergil got an elbow in and knocked Dante back onto the hard floor with an 'oof'. Amy moved quickly to avoid getting checked too for being in close proximity to Vergil, but he didn't get rough with her. He even took hold of her elbow to help ease her back onto her feet.

"You OK?" Amy asked as she bent over Dante who was feigning injury. He groaned pathetically as he put a hand up for Amy to help him up. When she fell for it he pulled her down and hugged her.

"You'll snuggle with me, won't you?"

"Dante!" She shrieked through a laugh. She pushed on his face to get him away, causing his cheek to smush as she pushed on it. All the while absolutely loving the fact that she had them there with her. Mornings were usually quiet, and boring. This was so out of whack though she couldn't be angry at Dante for tripping her up.

"Are you quite finished?" Vergil asked dully, standing over them. "Leave her be Dante. No one wants to 'snuggle' with you."

He leaned over to pry Dante off her.

"You are no fun Vergil." Dante said as he let go of Amy so she could stand as he rolled onto his back to stare up at his twin. "I bet the three of us would've had a hell of a time as kids."

"Unlikely." Vergil answered crossing his arms over his chest.

Amy though paused as that brought back that nightmare, of the three of them playing just like... this. No, it was purely coincidence. Yet somehow her smile faded and she felt her stomach no longer hungry.

"Everything OK?" Vergil's voice suddenly asked from beside her. She turned to look at him and noted...concern buried somewhere in his eyes. The first time she'd seen it since they were kids. It filled her with warmth, and the thoughts of her nightmare were replaced by his voice from so long ago in her mind.

_I'll protect you._

"I'm good. Kinda hungry." She smiled brightly as she used Dante's stomach as a stepping stone. Dante let out a laughing groan as she stepped over him and headed for the kitchen.

--

"You sleep well Verge?" Dante asked grinning up at his twin.

Vergil watched Amy round the corner and walk off into the kitchen before turning to address Dante.

"You have some nerve showing your face here. I do not appreciate being tricked Dante," he said in an icy cold growl.

"Oh come on, you know you enjoyed yourself last night. I've never seen you sleep past six on any morning." Dante replied sitting up with a knowing smirk towards the clock that read... 10:36am.

Vergil's brows furrowed. Even on nights he stayed up late he had always gotten up early. Losing sleep had never been a problem for him as he had adjusted to only getting a few hours since he was young. But he had actually overslept...

"It's only because it is so quiet here in comparison to the shop." Vergil stated calmly while internally calling himself a liar. The blankets she'd provided, along with the pillow, he hated to admit did bring him a kind of comfort. Almost in the same way he had unwillingly taken comfort in sensing Dante again upon first waking all those months ago. A fact he had not, and would not confess to his twin now.

He considered the reason's long after he'd left her side that morning, but eventually gave it up as he found himself... snuggling... with the blanket she left. Dante obviously had not located the one she left for him, or moronically ignored it in favor of stealing the one Vergil used.

Vergil turned away from Dante's damn 'know it all' smile to begin cleaning up the bedding when he realized the blanket she had been sleeping with the night before was what he had been using upon waking. He picked the colorful mat of fluff with its vivid blues, greens, and brown stripes and began folding it.

"We can clean up later." Dante yawned. "It's time for Dante pancakes."

"Dante... pancakes?" Vergil asked after a pause to make sure he'd heard that right.

"Yup." Dante said a little too enthusiastically before he followed in the direction Amy had gone. Vergil shook his head as he turned back to finish cleaning up, as always being stuck to clean up Dante's as well.

It suited him to stay behind, because his mind was a bit befuddled by waking to find the girl lying beside him. A little _too_ close for comfort. Between the night before staying with her and his rude, yet strangely nice, awakening Vergil was beginning to think coming was a bad idea. Well, for personal reasons it was, but he had to admit their timing was impeccable at arriving the same evening as that horrid post card. He would have to look into that as soon as they returned, if not possibly before.

As he calculated his next move in his head he picked up on a faint scent. Something sweet, and warm coming from the kitchen. He stacked all he'd folded and finally ventured after the others.

Dante was sitting on the kitchen counter like a kid, dangling his feet over as he conversed with Amy, who stood a ways beside him with her back to Vergil.

"Speak of the devil!" Dante chimed at catching sight of him. "Pancake Vergil?"

As he neared he saw her standing before the stove and eyeing the pan where the scent came from. She flipped the flat cake over and Vergil eyed it strangely. There was a red smiley face on the other side.

"What is that?" He asked.

"It's me." Dante replied with a grin. Vergil just stared from the smiley to Dante. "Ames isn't really the lush breakfast type, but she makes a mean pancake. I never use to eat them, too afraid I'd die..." he continued as Amy gave him a glare.

"Honestly, you'd think a person who's lived this long by herself would at least not make something toxic." Amy sighed as she glanced over her shoulder at Vergil. "I had to get him to try them, so I did the only logical thing. I stimulated his imagination."

She pulled back and popped the pancake onto a plate, then went to the fridge to grab a few items, before returning to set them down.

"I swear, he's no different than some of my students. You find the right angle and they'll do most anything. I just remembered as a kid mom and I use to make smiley face pancakes using food coloring and extra batter. The rest I improvised with what I had in the apartment at the time."

Amy stepped back to let Dante go to work and Vergil found himself baffled if not amused as Dante used whipped cream for the 'hair' and the syrup around the bottom for the stubble of his chin. He also noted one eye was slanted in a bit of a wink. He turned kind of awe inspired at the creativity of Amy's mind, which was something he had not yet encountered.

In fact, since they were teens he had not encountered her in a normal social setting. It hit him that in truth he knew next to nothing about her personality or how she had changed since the orphanage. Last time he saw her was under stressful circumstances, and he couldn't really recall seeing her so relaxed as she was now. Even when she was at Dante's there was still something off between them. Now though...

"See? Works like a charm," she grinned as Dante went to the table and began gobbling it.

"You should make a Vergil pancake." Dante piped up in between bites.

"How would I do that?" Amy asked as she leaned against the counter.

"Plain, with just a sprinkle of powdered sugar and cinnamon."

"How would that be a Vergil pancake?" Amy asked with a smile, as if expecting his response.

"It's just like him... Bland and tasteless with just a hint of sweetness tainted by an offensive spice," Dante smugly elaborated with a smirk as Vergil frowned.

"I'd rather be bland than colorful, fruity, and topped with whipped cream."

"Heh, you just haven't discovered the uses for whipped cream yet outside the kitchen." He retorted licking a bit of the frothy cream from the side of his mouth.

Amy put a hand to her mouth and tried to stifle a laugh, to which Vergil rolled his eyes.

"So what'll it be?" Amy asked as she settled her laugh and turned towards Vergil.

"I don't typically eat breakfast. Unlike Dante, I find most breakfast foods too heavy." Vergil replied as Dante only flipped him off as he started to lick the now empty plate.

"Uh huh... Well. Leave it to me." Amy said with a smirk before turning towards the fridge.

"Really, it's not necessary." Vergil urged her, but she seemed to ignore him. So Vergil hovered, as she pulled a couple plastic bags out of the fridge and went to the counter where he could not see what she was doing.

"Sit Verge. We should go over the game plan for today."

He turned back to Dante as he spoke before sitting across the table from him. The two conversed on the ride back home, as they had taken turns on the way there driving. Originally Dante had been somewhat put off at this idea since he'd never seen Vergil drive before, but Vergil assured him he did know how. Even if it took him a few miles to get a hang of it again... which entailed almost hitting a few pedestrians and a mailbox. After that though it came back to him.

"I could drive a bit if you want me to help out." Amy called over her shoulder.

"Don't worry Ames, let the men handle the driving. You just keep with the cooking." Dante said a little too brazenly. Vergil sat back and observed his brother as a large red strawberry smacked the side of his cheek, leaving a red mark as it fell into his lap. "Dude, I'm being attacked by fruit... oh it's just Amy."

At that moment she was coming towards the table shaking her head at Dante. She set a bowl of fruit down on the table and a frosty glass of orange juice in front of Vergil. He blinked at it, then at her but she was still too disgusted by Dante's comment to see the slight surprise in his face.

In the bowl was grapes, strawberries, and melon. She sat the sugar bowl beside him.

"Did you think I'd forget you only use to eat an apple or banana for breakfast?" Amy offered with a smirk. "I unfortunately don't have either, but since I was young even cereal was too heavy on my stomach in the mornings. So I started eating fruit instead. Old habits."

Vergil nodded, remembering that he always stole fruit from breakfast and typically sat on the front porch by himself eating it. Until Amy of course. Then he would steal two, and allowed her to join him. It always amazed him how remembering their childhood brought not only the memories, but the feelings that always accompanied them too. He quickly broke his eye contact with her and turned instead to the fruit before him.

"Awww, how come I didn't get orange juice?" Dante asked as he eyed the cold glass.

"You're not going to get any now," she said coolly as she turned to pour herself one and sat up on the counter.

"Aren't you going to join us?" Vergil asked at the empty chair she could've taken.

"I haven't eaten at the table for years. The view is much better from up here."

"I know we're hot and all..." Dante smirked.

"I meant out the kitchen window pancake boy." Amy mused as she took a sip of her drink. Dante shrugged and tried to snake his hand to grab Vergil's orange juice. He quickly brought the fork she'd given him down sideways between two of Dante's fingers. Vergil picked the glass up and took a sip, eyeing Dante over it.

"Jerk." Dante hissed as he took his hand back to glower at him. Vergil turned and looked over at Amy who was eyeing them contentedly, comfortably from her position. She caught his gaze and raised her own glass to him. It was strange. This atmosphere between the three seemed somehow right. Nervousness was gone, and in its place was an early morning serenity. He could even go so far as to say it felt family-like with the three of them eating together like this. Vergil didn't think he'd actually eaten breakfast together at a table since he was a child.

Then out of nowhere the same strawberry that Amy had thrown at Dante smacked against the front of Vergil's shirt, causing him to jump and dribble orange juice down onto his white shirt.

"Dante!" Vergil yelled as he stood and the chilled liquid froze him to the core. Dante looked startled at what he'd done, but then laughed. Amy was off the counter with a towel to hand him and Vergil was livid. Unlike Dante he traveled light, and didn't have any other shirt to change into. The shirt surely was stained, and it had been expensive too.

"I'm sure I can wash it out." Amy offered.

"And what am I to wear in the mean time?" He growled as he tried to pat the fabric dry.

"You could always borrow one of my--"

"Not a chance." Vergil interrupted Dante distastefully. There would be no guarantee any of Dante's shirts were even clean when he packed.

"I'm sure I have a larger shirt you can wear somewhere. Dante, could you go and look in the middle drawer of my dresser?" Amy asked. Dante seemed eager to leave as Vergil eyed him fiercely.

"Sure thing, be right back." Dante said as he exited the room.

"Here, take it off and I'll treat it before the stain sets in."

Vergil raised an eyebrow at her, but she only continued to look at him expectantly. So he turned and began to unbutton the shirt. All the while he heard her begin running water in the sink as he slipped out of the garment and walked it over to her. She took it from him without turning and gently lowered it into the cool water. She grabbed a small cup and began to pour water over the stain.

"Looks like it should be fine. If you would've let it dry we would've had more of a problem. We'll let it soak for a few minutes and I'll hang it out to air dry." Amy said as she set it back in the water.

Vergil stood watching her when she did not even turn to look at him, which he was oddly aware he expected her to do considering his nude torso. However she was looking out the window again that was just above the sink.

"Thank you," he said after a moment thinking it would somehow capture her attention. He didn't rightly understand why he wanted to capture it, but there was something familiar about standing that close to her.

"Welcome." Amy responded, and he could see the side of her mouth perk up in a half smile. Then they both turned as Dante could be heard stomping back into the room.

"Dude, you have some weird shirts in that drawer." Dante laughed as he entered. "Didn't find anything in there though."

"Then why did you even come back if you found nothing?" Vergil asked annoyed.

"Oh, I found something. Here ya go." Dante mused as he tossed a white shirt towards Vergil. He put an arm out to take it, but found Amy snatched it before it even touched his fingers.

"Where did you get this?" She asked as she walked towards Dante, holding the shirt out of Vergil's eyesight.

"Exactly where I found it the last time. It only makes sense since it _would _fit him." Dante answered with a bit of a playful gleam in his eyes. Amy shook her head at him and tried to go back to her room. "C'mon, the man needs a shirt!"

"_Not _this one." Amy growled and for a split second Vergil caught sight of the long sleeved, button down shirt as Dante tried to prevent her from leaving.

"Dante." Vergil interjected. "Let her go."

Dante huffed at Vergil, before begrudgingly moving out of the way to let Amy pass. She turned and gave Vergil what he could only describe as a grateful look before heading out the door.

"You know what that is, don't you?" Dante asked as he leaned against the frame and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course." Vergil replied and said nothing more as he took his place at the table and began to taste the fruit she left behind for him. It was hard not to have noticed the shirt she'd been so keen to keep from him was one of his own. The same one he'd given to her when he'd taken her from Dante to cover her bare flesh from his wandering stare. He figured it would've been thrown away after all that had happened in it. She kept it though, after all this time.

He could not blame her though, for even he held on to some... nostalgic tendencies in memoriam of those days...

_Pointless nostalgia is a _human's_ greatest flaw._

"This is what you were supposed to find."

Vergil turned at Amy's voice to see her handing Dante a black, long sleeved, button down shirt. Dante unfolded it with a raised eyebrow.

"Didn't you buy this for me?"

"I did, but you refused to wear it claiming it _wasn't your style _and left it here. So now," she paused to take it and toss it at Vergil who caught it. "It's Vergil's."

"You don't just go around giving a man's shirts away." Dante smirked as he watched Vergil slip into it before standing. Amy rolled her eyes and went to help Vergil button it.

"I swear, he said he'd never wear it and now because you will it has to be drama." Amy ranted as she buttoned it without really asking him if he needed her help. She was flustered, that much was obvious and he let out a silent breath that could've resembled a laugh. She only straightened the collar for him before going to do the buttons at his cuffs.

"Snazzy. You look pretty good in black bro." Dante said approvingly.

"You would too if you'd try it." Amy growled annoyed.

"Vergil has the skin for black, I'm far too tan to pull it off. Plus that collar would chafe like a mother fucker--"

"Mouth." Vergil said with a long sigh.

--

Amy had hung the shirt out to dry while she packed a few things and got ready to leave the house. She made some phone calls to make sure her mail was brought in by a neighbor of hers who would also feed the fish Vergil discovered in her bedroom. Two beta's separated by a wedge of plastic. One blue, one red.

"If I don't keep them separated they'll kill each other." She had mused. Vergil felt it best not to inquire to their names.

By the afternoon she had finished making her arrangements, packing, and his shirt was dry enough to take off the line. As Amy said, the stain was gone and yet despite this he kept the black shirt on rather than changing back into his. Telling himself the entire time it had nothing to do with the fact it smelled like Amy's apartment.

She seemed relieved that Dante had brought the car rather than the motorcycle, which Dante had found amusing because apparently she didn't fare well on them. A story Dante promised to tell him later when Amy wasn't around to glare daggers at him.

All three rode up front together in Dante's old car with Amy sitting between them as they drove straight through like they had previous. Dante and Vergil took turns, with Dante still refusing to let Amy drive saying that one or the other should always be awake just in case. So when it came time for the next shift Vergil volunteered to drive since Dante was more prone to falling asleep at the wheel. He had been driving for a couple hours before he turned to see something that annoyed him.

Dante was sitting with his back partly on the door, partly against the seat sleeping like a baby without his seat belt on. Amy had fallen over to lay on him sideways, as her seatbelt held her snuggly around her waist. He just didn't like it, how _cozy _the two of them looked together like that. On top of that Vergil noticed Dante wasn't entirely asleep. In fact his eyes were slightly open and watching Vergil as a smirk formed.

It wasn't like he hadn't noticed since he last saw the girl that Dante was purposely trying to throw the two together. Even now, up and leaving him with Amy practically all night long and then purposely grabbing that shirt so Vergil would know, when Amy obviously didn't want him to, that she had kept it. Now he was snuggling with the sleeping girl, and Vergil hated to admit it bothered him how close the two seemed.

_Of course they're close. Who took care of her all this time?_

Dante's eyes closed again as he stretched, propping his feet over Amy's legs, the heel of his boot resting on Vergil's thigh. Then his arm wrapped around the back of her head and she slid even further down to lie against his chest. Vergil glared at the road. Then he purposely slammed on the breaks.

He put his arm out to prevent Amy from rushing forward, but it slammed the side of Dante's smirking face into the dashboard before dumping him to the floor.

"Dude!" Dante growled as he put a hand to the side of his head hissing in pain. "Ahhh, ahhhh, owww..."

Amy jolted awake almost as soon as the car stopped and looked around to see what had happened. Then she saw Dante trying to crawl his way back into the seat beside her.

"Ahhh, you're awake." Vergil said smoothly as he pulled to the side of the road. "Your turn to drive Dante.

"I think I'm going to kill you." Dante groaned as he held one eye shut with a hand pressed to his temple.

Vergil ignored him with a grin as he exited the car to walk around the other side. Dante got out and glowered at his twin tiredly as he passed. It wasn't Vergil's fault Dante had been only pretending to be asleep. If he'd actually used the time to do so, then he wouldn't have felt so groggy now. _Serves you right._

Vergil climbed into the passenger side and immediately put his own seat belt on in case Dante should feel the need for revenge. Amy was lying with her head back on the seat again, almost as if their sudden stop hadn't really affected her much once she realized everything was fine. Dante got in and pulled back onto the open road.

"Gotta admit bro. You have a bit of a jealous streak." Dante murmured out of the blue. Vergil said nothing, only continued to look out the side of his window. He heard Dante let out a breathy laugh. "Imagine that. At a loss for words."

The car turned a little more sharply than was necessary to get around the curve in the road and Amy slid to lie against Vergil's shoulder. Vergil turned towards Dante who was watching them contentedly.

"Oh, sorry. If she's bothering you, you can just push her towards me." Dante grinned as he turned back to watch the road.

"Leave her. She's not bothering me." Vergil replied still looking out the window. He instinctively lifted his arm to avoid her somewhat uncomfortable weight against his shoulder, causing her to lean just under his arm. He paused as he tried to find a comfortable position for his arm, since he couldn't adjust it back beside him with her laying on him like that. He tried putting it on the back of the seat but found after a minute it was just as uncomfortable. He let it fall slowly onto her side which was a welcomed relief in comparison to on the back of the seat, but it caused Amy to fall even further until she was face first into his lap.

Vergil jumped, putting his hands up as he tried to figure out what to do.

"Dante, a little help?" He asked hurriedly.

Dante turned and burst out laughing.

"Get a room you two..." He joked back at Vergil who did not appreciate that comment.

"Dante!" He whispered, trying not to wake her. He didn't want to think of what might happen if she woke to find herself in this rather scandalous position. His face must've been bright red, because Dante wouldn't shut up and help him remove the girl. Finally he grabbed her by her shoulders and pushed her back into a sitting position with a sigh of relief.

"If that had been me..." Dante began.

"I do _not _want know." Vergil snapped as he tried to get his composure back. All the while Amy slid again to lie against his shoulder and this time Vergil left his arm right where it was. She snuggled closer and Vergil let out a deep sigh as her arms wrapped around his. On the outside he gave the frigid appearance of merely tolerating her, while internally he hoped the ride would take its sweet time. Because he knew the minute they returned back to the shop it would be business as usual.


	13. Affliction

**Oy ve! This story sure is taking me a long time to write...lol Four months since my last update! I am soooo sorry! I didn't even realize that much time had passed... Shows I tend to get too absorbed in writing to even notice months at a time passing... =0/**

**But I realize now that I really need to take the time and work on each chapter or else I'll never be satisfied with the outcome. Especially this story which is in a way my 'baby'. So forgive me if this story in particular tends to be long between updates.**

**Hopefully it was worth the wait. :)**

**Now I am beginning to bring the villain into the picture in this chapter and since I did promise I wanted to mention that on my bio page is a link to the artwork my beta did for Bleed It Out. In fact, it's of the villain who is finally showing himself a bit in this chapter. So if you are curious visit my bio page for the link to her art piece 'His Trouble'. I love it and she worked so hard on it and posting it without giving too much away. So enjoy it :D**

**There is a scene in this chapter I'm rather proud of involving Dante and Amy. I really wanted to show their friendship since it is very important to me. Just didn't feel like I had established how close they are or at least how good they can get along when left to their own devices. There will be more of this in future chapters. Can we say drunken antics? lol. I know I can!**

**Not much else to say except keep an eye out for the next chapter of Killing Moon which should be my next update unless I get anxious and continue Devotion or random oneshots...lol We'll see! Thanks again for your patience. :)**

* * *

**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 13**

"Where did she go?"

"_Gone...with them._"

"I told you she wouldn't like the card!"

_"Quiet now, hush... Breathe..."_

"..."

_"Better now?_"

"What are we going to do? You promised me... You _promised_..."

"_All in due time. Have I ever disappointed? We have waited this long and we can wait a little while longer_."

"I'm so lonely..."

"_You have us..._"

"It's not enough... It's never been enough."

"_Shhh, don't cry. I'm here and I will always be here. Soon she too will be here. You'll be happy then right?_"

"Yes. But what if she won't stay? Nixx won't... like the others..."

"_Sleep now and do not worry over such trivial things. I will protect you. When you wake she will be here._"

"Promise?"

"_Promise... now sleep_."

--

"Hey, wake up you two and stretch your legs. We're here." Dante said as he eyed the two sleepers beside him. Amy sat between the two with her head still on Vergil's shoulder while the elder twin had sunk down in sleep with his arms crossed and chin on his chest. Even his legs were rigid and crossed one over the other. Dante noted he almost resembled a pouting child.

He turned off the ignition, not waiting for them as he got out to stretch. They had driven non-stop, the three alternating with at least one twin staying awake while Amy took her turn. Dante had insisted. How could he not after what Vergil had shown him when Amy was packing.

"I must show you something that I feel may anger you." Vergil had said as he pulled some weird card from his pocket. "If you make a fuss it might only prove to set the girl at more ill-ease. So keep your head."

Dante had wanted to make a 'fuss' as Vergil had put it, but managed to keep his emotions down to quiet disgust as he read the card.

"Notice anything peculiar?" Vergil pressed when Dante tried to hand it back to him. He didn't want to have to look at it anymore, but when Vergil refused to take it back Dante sighed and looked at it again.

"Well...Uhh...This was written by two people?" Dante asked, noting the different handwriting.

"Look at the corresponding letters, in particular the loops on the 'L' on both examples of writing."

Dante looked again, and noted that they looped backwards on both the neat and messy scrawl.

"So, it's one guy?"

"Not necessarily... although the messier handwriting seems forced somehow. As if purposely trying to either hide the fact this is one person, or imply it's two."

"Which tells us it's one guy, right?" Dante asked thoroughly confused.

"I do not know." Vergil answered truthfully. Dante groaned. "But it provokes thought and is, despite its obscurity, a clue."

"You really need to get some rest on the way home. I think your brain is fried."

Of course upon Amy discovering Dante now knew why she was so freaked out the night before she had tried to calm him by pointing out whoever it was, if they had ill intentions, could've done something other than sending a post card. Yet they hadn't.

Problem was that didn't soothe him or Vergil at all. Some psychotic people laid in wait and gained perverse pleasure from inflicting fear upon people. It wasn't the kill they sought, but the process prior to. The card was a message and in Dante's mind only the beginning. It was a sadistic glimpse into the twisted mind of the person or person's who authored it.

His only saving grace was Amy was now in their care and Dante knew deep down that as long as she remained with them then she would be completely safe. If not only due to his determination alone, but that of his twin who had watched her sleep for almost an hour before drifting off himself. He could've pointed that out to Vergil in jest, but for once remained silent and let his brother be with how content he looked.

He rounded to the trunk to drag Amy's stuff out just as the passenger side door opened and one of Vergil's boots stepped out. The rest of his brother came shortly after to stretch before stepping away and letting Amy out. She looked ruffled and worn but smirked as she caught sight of him. She joined him to help with her bag before walking to the front doors.

Once inside Amy plopped down tiredly on the couch, laying out luxuriously at being able to stretch her legs and then went still when she buried her face in the broken leather cushion.

Dante smirked as he entered behind Vergil, tossing her stuff down on the floor and shutting the door behind them. He headed directly to the desk and let out a huff.

"What is it?" Vergil asked.

"Girl's are gone," he replied as he held up the note. "Business trip. If they go shopping at my expense again I swear they're both fired."

"Did you not tell Trish where you were going?"

"It's cool, Ames will be here for a bit--"

"Which brings up a good point." Amy suddenly chimed in, sitting up on her elbow to yawn at him over the arm of the couch. She pushed her hair back and eyed Dante tiredly. "I didn't get to ask you how long am I here?"

"There she goes again." Vergil sighed.

"Does it matter?" Dante grinned. She gave them both a bemused eye.

"You have less than three weeks to figure this out," she replied.

"Whaa? Heh, you giving me a deadline?" Dante asked crossing his arms as he leaned to sit on his desk.

"I managed to hold off my everyday life for that long, between job, bills and piano lessons. After that I have no choice but to return or risk losing it all," she continued as her head dropped back to the couch, her pointed finger still over the couch arm and wagging at him as she spoke.

"Well that's easy. Come live here with me, we got the room." Dante replied as if that was the most obvious solution. But Amy shook her head adamantly as it appeared again.

"I couldn't do that. Not that I don't appreciate the offer, but I need to live on my own. I can't rely on you to take care of me and honestly I wouldn't let you." Amy said seriously.

"Come on Ames, it would be fun. If you lived here creepy wouldn't be able to ignore your phone calls."

"Dante..." Vergil said warningly. Amy only laughed.

"Three weeks. If you don't find them by then I'll bring someone back with me if I have to in order to be safe, but I can't over stay my welcome," she continued evenly as she watched him. Dante sulked a bit, but seemed to perk.

"A challenge then. Fine, I accept. But if we don't find out who sent this then I'm sending _someone_ home with you," he replied looking at Vergil as he said _someone_. "And you can't protest, even if it means _they'll,_" again looking at Vergil. "...be watching you every second of every day. We'll call it operation _Big Brother_."

Vergil just gazed at him in a bored fashion before his eyes lowered to where Amy lay on the couch. She was staring up at him with smirking eyes.

"Deal," she said before pulling her chin off the arm and laying it sideways on the cushion with her eyes closed.

"Hear that Verge?" Dante chimed elbowing his twin enthusiastically. "She said it's a _deal_..." He continued to annoyingly elbow his twin before Vergil became so annoyed with him he pulled him into a headlock. Making it obvious all the time spent cooped up in the car with each other was a bad formula. "Amy!" Dante gasped trying to get help in removing his twins arm from his windpipe.

"Quiet." Vergil whispered.

Amy was fast asleep on the couch, having drifted off after the conversation had been settled. So Vergil pushed his twin away.

Vergil ushered him to the other side of the room as to not disturb her and to berate him for his childishness. Dante spoke first though.

"So what do you think?" He inquired as he leaned against the wall and stared at his twin.

"What do you mean what do I think?" Vergil asked annoyed.

"The whole post card thing, her dreams and all that jazz."

"I've already told you my thoughts on that."

"Which wasn't on par with your natural ability to over think." Dante added with a huff. "Look, the sooner we get cracking on this the sooner we can hang back and enjoy ourselves before she hikes it home." Dante continued before an evil grin crossed his mouth. "Unless you _want_ to go back home with her in three weeks?"

Vergil didn't dignify that with a response, only sighed and put a hand to his eyes tiredly. Dante was right of course in the aspect that his brain just wasn't functioning with the same ravenous speed it normally did. Then again the hours cooped up in a car, even with the nights rest at Amy's did nothing for him.

He tried for a moment to consider things logically, but the pieces of the puzzle were blurred as he tried to fit them together. He didn't know yet where the connecting factors were between the doppelganger he'd seen and the post card. But he was frustratingly sure somehow they were linked. _But how?_

"Don't hurt yourself." Dante suddenly chuckled and clapped a hand on Vergil's shoulder. "I think you could do with some rest too."

"I'm fine." Vergil snapped.

"Do you need to be put in time out?"

"I'm going to kil--..." Vergil began but was stopped mid word by...a yawn.

"You don't have to admit I'm right. Just go rest up a bit. I got Ames if she wakes up." Dante said.

Vergil eyed him for a second before nodding slightly and heading upstairs. However sleep did not come to him despite feeling tired. There was the issue that he rarely ever felt fatigue or tired. Hadn't he been a hardcore insomniac by choice since he was a child?

Perhaps the trouble was that the girl was around again. It should've made him tense and on edge yet he felt the exact opposite. Now it was only his mind that kept him awake thinking on the puzzle still. Also on the oddity that was both his sense of contentment at knowing she was near, and the anxiety of knowing even with her close she was possibly in danger.

Something was wrong and he could feel it stirring from within. Almost like something was prowling just beyond his line of sight and its eyes were fixed on Amy. He rarely felt any sense of foreboding but admittedly now he did. He was concerned not only for her but for the safety of those around him with the aspect of an unknown enemy circling them. More than just the girl were at stake and if he were to fail... if he could not protect them...

That thought alone had made it impossible to sleep at all.

--

Of all the times for the girls to run off on him.

Dante wasn't the researching type, and he knew that the restlessness of his twin would make him force Dante into working. Lady and Trish did all the paperwork leaving him free to go about the other angles of cases. The fun stuff like fighting and blowing shit up. The only thrill in research to be found was the prospect of paper cuts. _Yay_...

Dante had taken Amy to lay up in Lady's room, figuring the huntress wouldn't mind, before coming back down to do... nothing. He sat down on the couch with a deep sigh. Things were quiet without the regular bustle of his comrades and twin leaving him with a bored feeling. He yawned. A sure sign he was bored out of his mind.

That coupled with the fact that he somehow managed to doze off. It wasn't for long, but by the time he seemed to stumble into waking, wiping drool from his mouth, the place was quiet. Or so it seemed at first until he heard creaking coming from above.

Dante lifted his head and frowned at what he saw. The damn ladder to the attic was down and there was only one person cheeky enough to try and go up there.

He ascended the stairway, followed by the ladder and poked his head above the floor to eye Amy.

"How did you get up here?" He asked with a smirk.

"I used your pool stick to pull the ring," she replied as she turned to smile back at him. He made a mock gasping noise.

"You little minx, I told you not to come up here."

"Then bring the piano downstairs," she challenged.

"It doesn't go with the decor," he deadpanned as he made it to the top of the stairs and came to join her on the piano bench but sitting with his back to the keys rather than facing them. "Besides, I think I would lose it if I saw Vergil sitting anywhere near this thing."

"What is it about him being able to play that freaks you out so much?" Amy asked him noting he wouldn't want Vergil near it but it was OK for him to sit next to her.

"Maybe I'm still hopeful he'll take a liking to electric guitar... or drums. We could start a band then! Think of it... The Sons of Sparda! Has a nice ring eh?" He asked as he turned to look at her. She only shook her head and he huffed. "We'll call you in if we need to do a rock ballad. Piano's seem like a _girly_ instrument."

"Are you kidding me? There is nothing sexier than a man who can play piano. It's all in the fingers..." Amy continued as she lifted a hand to flutter her fingers.

"I _don't _want to know. Seriously..." Dante interrupted shaking his head and pushing her hand away. He sat back to lean against the piano, striking a key as he went. She just stared at him as he took a deep breath. "So, what brings you up here?"

"I thought that would've been obvious," she smirked as she set her hands on the keys.

"Not what I meant. You've been kind of quiet lately. Is it so weird being back here?"

"No! If anything I'm kind of glad I am here. I'm just still having odd dreams."

"That's right, you were saying something about that when you called and scared me half to death. Ready to talk about that yet?"

"Are you my shrink then?" Amy asked grinning. Dante sat up and turned to sit the correct way next to her. He leaned his shoulder into hers playfully.

"I'm waaay too messed up to help you in the psych area. Then again dreams when it comes to us have always meant more than just dreams. Nightmares coinciding with disturbing notes showing up in the mail... I don't like those odds."

"Not ready to talk about it just yet... _But _I will," she added when he gave her an exasperated look. "I just got here, so I want to try and relax a little."

"OK. Why don't you play something for me then?" He asked. She stared at him for a moment because she hadn't played piano for anyone except Vergil and her students. She didn't know why, but she didn't feel comfortable sharing it with Dante just then. It was her and Vergil's _thing_ and to play for Dante just felt odd.

"I have a better idea," she said sidestepping the subject by standing and grabbing an old acoustic guitar case collecting dust in the corner. "Why don't you play something for me." She held the case up and Dante just looked back at her, his chest swelling a bit. "Show me how a _real man_ plays an instrument."

"Well, I don't mean to brag... But I am like a rock God," he boasted as he reached out and took it from her. She rolled her eyes at him and returned to sit on the bench. He strummed it jokingly to get a rise out of her. "I could've been a rock star, but my true calling will always be to sacrifice my life for the greater good of the people," he sighed dramatically.

"Greater good of your pockets you mean?"

"That too! Now you want to see a sexy man in action, you find one who can play guitar. I got finger skills too you know."

Amy burst out laughing, and he turned to grin at her.

"What? I do!" He protested as he quickly strummed the guitar.

"I believe you," she replied calming down a bit and smiling at him. "I'm really glad you came and got me. I haven't felt right for a long time now, and can't recall the last time I felt like myself."

Dante sighed heavily and shook his head.

"What?" She asked.

"You're cute Amy really, but I already have a girlfriend."

"You never quit do you?"

"It's not you Amy... It's me...," he continued.

"Oh yes, how heartbroken I am," she said in an emotionless tone. "Woe is me..."

"You'll get over the disappointment in time. With lots of therapy, you'll one day only be able to think of me 12 times a day."

"I see having a girlfriend hasn't deflated your ego any," she said before sighing and giving him a hopeless side glance.

"Are you kidding? I get the compliments for free now! It's frickin' sweet..." Dante paused a sec and then looked back at her. "I guess its pretty cool having you hanging around again. Grumpass seems less grumpy."

"Does he now?"

"He doesn't brood as much, and it's nice to see him staring at you instead of random inanimate objects. I was beginning to think there was something going on between him and my juke box. Can you imagine explaining that to visitors?"

"Ahhh, so I have competition then?" She asked jokingly.

"Well, you do have the advantage of being human...," he trailed off.

"But?"

"...the jukebox plays music on demand and have you seen its backside?" Dante said seriously as he made an hour glass shape with his hands, except making the lower half of it a lot wider. Amy smacked his shoulder.

"I don't need the mental image of Vergil trying to woo your juke box. I have enough messed up thoughts in my head thank you."

Dante slung an arm around her shoulder and knocked their heads together a little too enthusiastically.

"Owwww," they both chimed at the same time but regardless were laughing.

"OK, it's your turn." Dante said rubbing the side of his head before standing. He stood up and dropped the guitar in her lap.

"What?"

"You taught Vergil how to play piano, so I'm gonna teach you how to play guitar. Maybe then I'll consider letting you in my band."

"The band that does not exist?" She asked sweetly.

"Yet Ames. Doesn't exist _yet_."

--

He was annoyed. Very much so because he was doing something he had not done for a very long time. Vergil was dreaming and somehow he knew it.

He stepped from behind the tree to look upon the green field that turned golden as the grass caught the bright sunlight above. It was warm on his face and shoulders once he left the shade of the big tree. He knew he rightly shouldn't have been able to feel it on his skin but somehow in his mind he could.

"Vergil!"

A ways from him Amy called out. Waiting with her was his brother, Lady, Trish... and his mother and father. They all stood or sat near a picnic table in the clearing in everyday clothing waiting for him. Trish sitting on Dante's knee, Lady sitting down in the grass, with his mother and father standing side by side. He didn't move or even flinch at the odd sight. _It's not real_.

Amy was walking towards him, and paused to take his hand.

"_We've been waiting for you_," she said happily before leaning down and kissing his hand.

"_This isn't real_," he said to her tonelessly with eyes that never wavered to give away what he might've done had she really been that close to him.

"_It is. I'm real. Touch me_."

Amy put his hand on her cheek, but it had the opposite effect she was hoping for and further proved his point. The skin felt real, but it was cold and rough under his fingers. He pulled his hand away from her sharply. It was too right. _Too _perfect.

_I'm dreaming _he repeated to himself to remain grounded outside of this reality.

The sky above clouded over and a cold breeze blew around them as he looked up to see the faces of his family and friends looking mournfully from a distance as if something had gone horribly wrong.

Then Amy began to cry before him, her soft features screwing up in accusatory anger and betrayal.

"_He'll never let us go now. It's all your fault... all your fault Vergil_."

He backed away as she began to cry tears of blood. He heard a cut off scream and turned to see the matted down area where the others once were was now littered with dead bodies and the grass around them drenched in their blood. Something fast was moving among the tall grass around them and it was getting closer.

"_It's all your fault_!" Amy sobbed into her hands. "_You never loved any of us_!"

A long fingered hand crawled up and over her shoulder, and a face obscured by greasy black hair appeared just next to hers as if crawling onto her back.

'_Who are you?_' Vergil demanded. All he could see was a single eye poking beneath where the hair parted.

'_Who are _you_?"_ It asked back to him.

_'Do not play with me vile being. Tell me what it is you want!'_

It chuckled at him, a low raspy cackle as it wrapped both dirty clawed hands around Amy's neck. A single fingernail drew across the side of her neck where the red cut bloomed crimson blood like a single tear.

_'We already have what we want'_

With that it grabbed Amy by the jaw with each hand and snapped her neck. Vergil did not move, or flinch.

'_Listen to me. You forget. This is _my _dream, and you are trespassing._'

He could sense fear coming from the creature at his words and so it threw itself at him like a wild beast snarling. Blackened teeth bared at him angrily as filthy and sharp fingernails reached out for him.

Yamato appeared in Vergil's hand without thought. With one quick slice it cut through the black figure and somehow slowed right in the center. It hissed and spat in his face angrily when Vergil showed no fear. Obviously displeased it had not shook him by all it had shown and done.

'_You will regret this. I will make you all pay.' _It sneered as dark red fluid oozed from its mouth.

'_Leave her alone, or I swear..._' Vergil said unmoved as he twisted the blade a little further. It grinned at him, a death grin in the face of his words.

'_Swear all you want devil. Make sure to put your oath as a memoriam on her tombstone.'_

'No!'

Vergil turned at hearing a second voice scream somewhere behind him, then quickly back to the black figure as it hissed and fought to remain, but something was pulling it back. It was yanked forcefully off Yamato and cast to the ground where it howled and screamed for release. Its skin dripped away to a hissing mass of black oil that seeped into the green earth, turning the ground to a disgusting brownish black.

When the creature was gone Vergil turned again to the tree where the voice from before had come from. For a split second he saw a weak man holding onto the tree for support looking up at him woefully and tired as he clutched to his stomach.

"Don't see me...," he begged.

'_Who are you?_' Vergil asked but before the question could finish forming on his lips the man had disappeared.

Vergil didn't even startle awake, more like waking from a drugged sleep where he opened his eyes and tried to remember where he was and how he got there. He sat up and shook his head. His body ached no doubt from the car ride and finally being able to sleep on a mattress.

His mind though was abuzz with what he could remember of the dream. Somehow he could remember only a little. Amy had been there... A nightmarish figure in black... and a gray haired man who looked very unhappy. What had occurred or had been said he could not recall at all. It troubled him though, the mixture of those two gaunt figures and Amy.

He decided to see if Amy was awake yet, and if she would be willing to divulge what her dreams were to him. Maybe somewhere buried in them was the key to this all.


	14. Faith

**OK guys, here is my update and hopefully it can suffice until I get back. I'm trying my best to build a few twists and turns with no real payoff yet. I dunno if my mind has been on autopilot due to stress or what...lol It's just not moving at the pace I want.**

**I tried to put a little bit of everything in this chapter between horror, supsense, romance, humor and some slight action. So hopefully you can find something to like about it even if I'm iffy on it.**

**I guess I just need your honest opinion on this chapter. I like it, but I just don't know if you guys will...lol If I need to rewrite it due to it not being on parr then I will. So help a girl out. :)**

**Also, FYI... I have some fun bartime planned within the next two chapters. :D Which means drunken DMC for all! Also some actual... Vergil/Amy stuff! Whoot! And luckily most of the scenes for the next two chapters are fully written! I wanted a bit of it to be in this chapter, but Trish and Lady have to come home first. And much like Amy and Vergil, **_**I'm**_** still feeling their relationship out now that they can be more open with one another. Hopefully it is going well so far. -anxious- Ahh, my poor nerves are wracked...lol**

**As for my Comic-Con blog, I have it now linked in my bio page if anyone is interested. At present I have pics up of my awesome DMC and RE5 shirts made by DevilWriterN that I will be wearing at the convention...lol They're pretty sweet, so check them out. :)**

**I'm thinking I may be too tired at the end of each day to do long blogs, so if you are interested in seeing me trying to get DMC/RE cosplayers to pose with me then that's where to go! **

**Oh! And wish me luck. Reuben Langdon (voice actor for Dante) is attending and I'm hoping to get a pic with him too! :D**

**R/R/Enjoy!**

* * *

**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 14**

Leaving his room, Vergil was feeling slightly off hilter before finally being able to focus his attention on the fact it was still midday outside. He couldn't have been asleep for longer than an hour.

Vergil realized though that there was no sound of life coming from below, but instead above as he only had to reach the top of the stairs to get a sense of where everyone was. The ladder leading to the attic was down. He could hear laughing and the sound of a guitar coming from above which did nothing to lighten his present mood.

He slowly ascended, which he didn't understand why he did knowing Dante would sense him almost immediately. He wanted to see what they were laughing about though. What he saw was Dante leaning over Amy's shoulder as she clumsily held a guitar in her lap. Dante's arms were over her shoulders pointing at the different strings as she tried to play them.

Vergil felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he watched them. He had almost forgotten the two were good friends, and had more in terms of history than he did with Amy. While Vergil was gone Dante had looked out for her in his stead. Dante had told him that they had never lost touch and she visited at least once a year.

Perhaps it bothered him how close they were. Because he felt more and more separated from her now than he did when they were enemies all those years ago. Watching the two laughing together, and Dante so easily close to her without a second thought. It was maddening to see. Especially when Dante looked up without alarming Amy and grinned at Vergil. In return Vergil turned and hurried down the ladder, almost knocking into the wall in his need to escape that image. It shouldn't have made him angry to see them bonding, but it did. Both at Dante for having been so easily by her side all these years and at Amy for keeping in touch with him. He wanted them both in his life, but separated. Because when they were together and laughing it reminded him of all he had missed out on.

He was trying to make an effort to be Dante's brother, but he still felt gripped by the same envious insecurities that he had before he had confessed to his twin. Why should that be? He had everything he ever wanted now. Well, maybe not everything...

Vergil stopped and reprimanded himself for his thoughts. His mind should be focused on his dream, on talking this mess out to a conclusion, but the image of the two wiped the thought from his brain and made it impossible to get back.

He knew of course what needed to be done but he could not bring himself to do it. If he wanted her time and attention he would have to request it openly, but it was not something he would do of his own will. Yet if he continued to mentally push her away she might become so distant from him as to put her own life in danger further. If she was close to him then she would be close at hand if the worst came.

Those black eyes of the dark figure. His threat of her death shook him to his core.

He walked into the bathroom and held onto the sink with a great sigh. Vergil needed to get his mind in working order and he needed to talk to Amy no matter how much she was reluctant to talk of her own dreams. He also realized that there were too many distractions in this place and maybe if he got her away from Dante she might open up and talk to him.

Vergil lifted his head to stare into the mirror. He was a son of Sparda and he never quaked in the face of a challenge, never failed to solve a single riddle, or unravel enigma's lain forgotten for centuries.

Yet for all his pedigree, knowledge and unwavering ferocity... the man had no idea how to strike up a conversation with a woman. However, it needed to be done for the sake of all involved and so he would steel his back and do what was needed. As he had always done.

He left the bathroom to head back downstairs to strategize all the while listening to vague whispers and laughing coming from above. A part of him wanted to just go up there, demand she speak with him and then drag her away. He was sure though that one, if not both of them, wouldn't be pleased by this and then how would he learn anything?

So he waited, drowning out the voices and only tuning back in when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Amy flew by and bent over to grab her bags while Dante came and plopped down on the couch beside his twin.

"Give me 10 minutes, OK?" Amy said to Dante as she passed by them again. Vergil frowned. When she was gone he spoke in his best nonchalant voice.

"Where are you two going?"

"Love Planet." Dante replied.

Vergil turned quickly to look at his twin and realized that Dante was grinning like a Cheshire cat who had caught him in his trap.

"Be serious." Vergil growled before looking away.

"We kind of dropped in on Ames on laundry day. She needs clean undies and I don't have a washer. Gotta use the Laundromat down the block." Dante continued as he leaned back continuing to smirk at his twin.

"You are so vulgar." Vergil said flatly when he obviously did not want to hear from the _Lord of Too Much Information_. He sighed and continued. "You are accompanying her?"

"I am... why? You want to go in my place?"

"Perhaps," he replied slowly not to give away that he obviously did want to go. Of course Dante had the wrong idea for his motives but Vergil was beyond caring. Anything to get away from that know-it-all grin. "After all, you let me take a short nap. This way I can return the favor--"

"Don't have to twist my arm bro. You wanna go help her sort her bra's and panties be my guest. I have an entire drawer of Trish's upstairs for my personal use--" Dante interrupted before ducking when Vergil tried to smack the back of his head, once again not appreciating the extra information.

"I swear you are another subspecies of primate."

"Dunno what that is but Species was a good movie. Chick in it was fucking _fine_ _as hell_."

Vergil felt a throb in his temple and internally wondered what in the world Amy could find so entertaining about Dante when he was clearly, clinically _insane_. Perhaps he would add that to the list of questions he needed to ask her?

Amy arrived carrying the clothing content of her bags in a single plastic one stuck inside a white laundry basket.

"This one OK?" Amy asked Dante.

"That would be the one. You two behave yourselves." Dante replied as he stood and walked up the steps. Amy looked back at him confused then towards Vergil. He could've sworn he saw her eyes light up just a bit.

"I've offered to accompany you so Dante can rest a while." Vergil offered politely in an airy tone.

"I'm glad." Amy said as she just stood there holding her basket.

_She's... glad? Well... Alright then._

"Allow me."

Vergil put his arms out to remove the basket from her and she allowed him to take it. As they passed it off his hand ran over hers and her eyes flickered away from him.

"Thanks," she said before tucking her bangs behind her ear.

"You're... welcome," he said automatically and somehow felt the painful twitch in his temple subside as she turned to open the door for him.

_Focus... stay focused _he told himself internally as he walked by her. Of course he waited until after he was past her to let a hint of a smirk go at seeing her cheeks were slightly pink once the midday sun hit it through the opened doorway.

--

It took Dante a while to settle into the idea of sleep. After all there was a lot of things to be done now that his twin, Lady and Trish were out of the house. Like shower and then roam the place naked simply because he _could_. He did that a lot when he was a bachelor and forgot how wonderful it felt to not give a damn who was around at any given moment. Then he realized in his older age that he got colder more easily and that eventually drove him into his bed.

Laying nude against the cool sheets and blankets he found a comfortable position, hugging a body pillow as if it were Trish, before dozing off.

Dante found himself standing in an alleyway late at night. The ground beneath his feet was wet, and reflected the lights from streetlamps overhead.

'_Come on now_,' he said into the empty alleyway. '_Where's the hot girls?_'

Searching around he found nothing and no one. He was thinking '_If I wanted to be bored I would've stayed awake_' bitterly as he began walking. He zig zagged around corner after corner coming to the realization he was walking in circles. Every three turns he was in the same alley he started, with the tell-tale street lamp and buildings giving it away.

He tried to think, but there was no outward puzzle to solve or some cryptic message scrawled somewhere on how to solve this riddle. He needed Vergil for the problem solving stuff.

A slight noise however caught his attention and he jumped as he caught sight of what it was. It was gone in a second, but the sudden sight of it had startled him. Someone had been peaking over the side of the building, and when he said peaking _over_ he meant it. Almost as if the laws of gravity didn't apply to them and they were floating diagonally to the wall. Just holding onto it like they would the ledge after a fall.

All he could see was a pale forehead, nose and upper lip. What was so insanely creepy about it, aside from the floating, was the eyes that stared at him were overly large, gaping madly with black where the whites should've been and red cat-like eyes. Iris red, pupils black and a horizontal slit rather than the round he was use to seeing.

He reached to his hip but discovered he was weaponless, something he hadn't bothered to even check earlier. No matter, as he only chose to wield weapons and was more than capable of doing damage without them.

So he took off around the corner carefully and was shocked to see a body being dragged by an invisible force across the wall, nails scraping on the stone and leaving a blood trail in there wake. He paused as this was a little too weird even for one of his dreams. Then he heard a scream from around the corner which caused him to move instinctively to the next.

A blonde haired woman sat crouched over on the ground trembling, her hair obscuring her face.

'_You OK?_' Dante asked cautiously. He'd seen enough horror movies to know you don't approach the crazy looking women with long hair. Never approach anything whose face you couldn't see.

Even at a distance he regretted saying a word, because the face lifted still fully covered by the blanket of long blonde hair. But then where the eyes, nose, and mouth would have been dark red stains began to appear, turning the blonde hair a freakish orange, and finally red as it was saturated. The thing was laughing, but all that came was a gurgling noise because the opened mouth was full of blood. It trickled down the chin like a fountain before a thin, pale, and clawed hand suddenly raised to point a tense finger at Dante.

Then someone grabbed him from behind and drew a swift blade across his throat.

Dante jumped before falling off the bed with a loud thud. _What the hell was that supposed to be?_ he wondered once he was lucid enough to even have a thought. He knew it was a dream, but damn was it messed up. He didn't like the implications between Amy having nightmares and now suddenly he was too.

But could the dreams have to do with Amy? It wasn't so impossible to think that the supernatural powers her old necklace possessed could've somehow created a link between the three of them. A doorway into whatever it was that had been bothering her. Had her dreams been as freaky as that?

Combined with the post card it unnerved him enough to want to find out more. He moved to where his jeans sat and pulled his cell phone from his pocket, dialing before putting it to his ear.

"Hello?" Trish's voice answered.

"Hey babe, it's me."

"We're not buying things using your money Dante--"

"Yes we are!" Lady interrupted in the background. "$600 for a purse?! Oh well, it's not my money!"

"When are you guys coming back?" Dante asked not really feeling up for play at the moment.

"A few days... why? Is everything OK?"

"Fine. Just need my expert researchers back here. Think if you two can tear yourselves away from running me financially into the ground you could do some research on dreams pertaining to demonic or devil origins?" Dante asked.

"I think we can manage that. I'll give you a call if we find anything." Trish responded before quickly adding. "Oh, and babe?"

"Yeah?"

"We're in Illinois...," she teased. "Want me to get you a state spoon for your collection?"

"Trish! You're not supposed to talk about that in front of Lady!" Dante growled as he slapped a hand to his forehead. He heard Lady laughing like mad on the other end.

"Oh yeah, sorry... Guess I'll put it bac--"

"No! Don't put it back... I want it. Just try and be subtle when you buy it."

Dante hung up the phone with a sigh. Nightmares of creepy ass dudes or facing Lady in regards to his spoon collection? He didn't know what would be worse. He just hoped his twin was having a much better time then he was.

--

Blacks, whites, colors, delicates...

It was days like this that made Vergil glad most everything he owned was dry clean only. He did not rightly understand how someone could wait around while their laundry finished in such a drab and uncomfortable place.

He realized he had lost a prime opportunity on the drive there to breach the subject of the dreams with Amy when the two were alone together. There were several other people around, but then again the humming of the washers and dryers did insure that they would not be overheard. Hell, at this point she probably couldn't even hear him with how noisy it was. He would make due of course.

Amy sat down after tossing in her last load into one of the washers she was using. He took the hard, plastic chair beside her in a hideous orange color and watched someone's load dry before them. It was somewhat hypnotic and distracting. Then she sighed and it brought him back to the reality that he should be talking with her. He decided to conduct himself in a business like manner. After all, it would make the ice easier to break.

"Did you sleep well?" Vergil asked.

"For once, yeah," she responded as she turned to look at him.

"Dreamless then I'm guessing?"

"Like a rock without sign of any dreams. Then again it's normally that way whenever I come to stay with Dante. He tends to wear you out."

"I can see that. Normally it would be a curse, but in your case a blessing in disguise." Vergil agreed as he turned a bit towards her, crossing on leg over his knee at the ankle to try and get comfortable in the god awful chairs. He was trying to bate her into talking about her dreams and she was easily dodging it. At this point the best way was the direct way.

"Tell me about your dreams of late."

She tensed a bit, her eyes dropping from his as she fidgeted with her shirt.

Her eyes came back to his and he could not only see the fear there but noted he could visibly see her skin break out into goose bumps.

"I really don't want to talk about that just now." Amy said apologetically.

"Amy...," he began evenly. He could've mentioned his own dream but felt with the current mood coming off her that it would only frighten her more. Hell, she might blame herself for bringing them into this and in doing so refuse to bring them in further. He couldn't let her shut him out, but what could he do to put her at ease?

Firstly, he tried to think of what Dante would do if put in the same situation. Dante seemed to easily calm her, but every idea that came to his head he immediately shot down. He could never behave like that.

Then from nowhere something Trish had said to him came to mind.

_There is no such thing as business transactions when it comes to women Vergil. Everything else requires emotions or else you're wasting our time... _

Well, it was something he had not tried yet.

Unconsciously he reached out to stop her from twisting her hands from her shirt, taking one in his own. Amy looked surprised by this move.

"Dante and I believe that there is some connecting factors in regards to this and a case we're working. Is there nothing you can tell me that can help us find out who left you that note?" Vergil asked subtly. Her fingers wound around his hand as she watched it closely.

"Someone... or something in a black hooded robe." Amy said quietly as she pulled her other hand to fidget with his. His hand tingled as she played with it but he brushed it off in favor of the business at hand.

"Have you ever seen their face?"

"No. Always it was just a hood."

"What was this figure doing?" He continued to press. He saw her flinch, even felt the muscles twitch in her hand. She looked suddenly uncomfortable, like she was going to put up an objection, but then she looked up at him and took a deep breath that shook.

"Can we step outside? I don't want to do this in here, with all these people around." Amy asked gazing around apprehensively.

"Of course," he replied as he stood, still holding her hand to help her out of her seat. She did not let go as they walked towards the doors, leaning a bit into his arm as they maneuvered themselves past people.

Once in the daylight Amy seemed to calm and in the deserted parking lot Vergil did not have to worry about noise distracting them.

"It's times like this I really wished I still smoked." Amy laughed nervously as she pushed the hair that had blown into her face back.

"You... smoked?" Vergil asked distastefully.

"A long time ago when I was a teen. It was a nasty habit, but one never forgets the feeling of calm in moments of stress." Amy continued pausing when Vergil frowned. "Give me a break, I stopped alright? You were never tempted to even try it?"

"Of course not." Vergil said indignantly. Then he paused before adding. "Wait. Are you trying to change the subject?"

"Of course not." Amy said in almost perfect mimic of him.

"You've spent too much time around my brother."

Amy smiled at this but kept her eyes to the ground even as her fingers curled to clasp in his own.

"I agree," she replied finally looking up at him and he could see the implications there in her eyes.

"You're still avoiding the subject," he said pointedly as he started to pull his hand away from her, using it as leverage as a justification for still letting her hold it.

"OK, OK!"

He stopped pulling away and just watched her expectantly.

"The figure, he is just always coming for me. Relentlessly and no matter what I do I can't escape the inevitable. In the end, he always gets me and...,"

"Does he ever say anything?"

"Except screaming my name, no. Nothing of significance. " Amy paused a moment before continuing. "Do you think he could be real? It's almost too horrible to think the monster of my nightmares could be. I don't ever want to know what is hiding beneath that hood."

At her question and the apprehensive look on her face Vergil didn't know if he should lie to give her false hope or tell her the truth. But even if this masked figure was real he knew as long as he and Dante were close she had nothing to worry about. Their focus shouldn't be on the _what if's_, but on the facts that might help them avoid them.

"Amy... Have you ever seen a gray haired man in your dreams?" Vergil asked remembering the gaunt figure. Maybe he was asking about the wrong man.

She actually looked at him in wide eyed surprise.

"How do you know about him?"

"No matter. Have you?" Vergil pressed. He still did not feel telling of her dreams would help anything as of yet.

"It's very rare, but I have seen him before. Usually in the moments before I die in my dream, hiding in the corner and crying. He's _always_ crying when he looks at me, like he is torn up about what is happening. But he never speaks even when I call out to him for help."

_So maybe we are dealing with two people here_, Vergil thought as he watched Amy's profile when she turned to look across the street. Yet something was bothering him about that theory, since the writing on the postcard, while the strange scrawl matched the dark haired figure, the lovely handwriting didn't seem to fit this gray haired man. Amy was right of course about his crying, but it was not for Vergil the man had been red eyed over. He just seemed weak and upset, especially at Vergil seeing his ghostly image.

_Don't see me..._

In his mind the gray haired man didn't fit the idea he had for the one who'd written the nicer side of that poem. It was far too eloquent and self assured to be the man who looked like he might be afraid of his own shadow.

"Is this helping any?" Amy asked when he brooded on the subject.

"Yes," he lied.

"Right," she replied doubtfully. She let out a long sigh. "I'll do my best to help, just ask and I'll do anything."

"When I figure out what it is I need rest assured I'll ask it of you."

Amy smirked before lifting his hand and playfully pressing her lips quickly to the back of it, making a 'mua' noise. Before Vergil could really react to this she let his hand go at his side and turned to head back inside. He though took her arm and made her turn back to him.

"I-- well. Don't worry about this Amy. You are safe now in our care, so I must ask you to put some faith in us even if Dante can be less than adequate at times." Vergil said seriously. He wanted to assure her that he would not fail her. Somehow... it seemed important at seeing her apprehension.

"You've got it all wrong Vergil. I never lost faith to begin with in Dante, or you." Amy replied with a warm smile that gave the sun above them a run for its money. "Don't know how many more ways I can say it. But I will, until you get the picture."

Vergil watched her and she him for a long moment with his hand still at her elbow. It was hard not to appreciate her words, because Vergil did not like failure, but had to admit somewhere down the road it was something even he was capable of. Dante would forgive him because they were blood and no matter what comes between family those ties would never be truly severed. Amy had waited for him though, giving up who knows what in the process because she believed in him. Somehow that alone made all his failures pale in comparison. It was hard not to feel powerful in her eyes when she gave him absolution with each smiling glance his way.

He pulled on her elbow, making her step closer to him until he could reach out and remove a white, whispery dandelion seed that had blown into her hair.

"They say you can make wishes on those." Amy mused a bit nervously the closer they stood. He pulled the seedling away. "What would you wish for Vergil?"

Vergil stared at the seedling as if in thought and then let his eyes trail back towards her. A rye smile formed in the corner of his mouth before he let the seed go to float back into the air.

"We should get back to your laundry," he replied evenly as he let go of her arm and guided her towards the doorway. She resignedly, but not all too pleased with his lack of answer, allowed him to take her back inside. All the while Vergil couldn't help but feel amused at her inquiry.

_Some things are best left unsaid_.


	15. Unwelcome Guest

**And we're back!**

**First off, I need to make a bit of an announcement about this story. I have decided eventually that I'm going to re-write it and one of the things I intend to remove from it is the scene between Lady and Narc.**

**I originally had plans for him within this story, but since I decided a while back to go in a different direction the Lady/Narc pairing isn't really resolved from here out. I apologize to you guys for that, but as an OC I was not pleased with him. I needed an OC character but decided to give him a bigger role and it didn't turn out as I hoped.**

**So rather than stop updating and re-write everything I'll continue on and edit it little by little. Hope you guys can understand. :)**

**Also, if you wanted some Vergil/Amy, then you've come to the right chapter. :D The end scene is for you guys. lol**

**Lastly, on my bio page I've added a link to my new **_**web site**_**! I found this nifty web site program and decided to put all my stories there instead of deviant art. But also, and what I'm most happy about is, I can now have fanfiction and **_**original **_**material in one place. :D For the time being I've only got samples of two supernaturally based original fics I'm working on. Feel free to drop by and look. :D**

**Enjoy the chapter. :)**

* * *

**Bleed It Out**

**Chapter 15**

By the time she had finished her laundry and they made it back to Devil May Cry Amy was feeling slightly anxious. She couldn't help it of course considering she'd spent part of the day alone with Vergil and he'd actually said more than two words to her. Somehow it meant something even it she wasn't sure what.

They were surprised to find that Dante was nowhere to be found in the main part of the building, which wasn't normal since he was typically glued to his chair or the couch most of the time. But shortly after entering the door leading off to his actual "office", something he rarely used, opened and he stepped out.

"Thank God!" Dante sighed. "I thought I would have to do this all on my own."

Before either could question he walked back into the room and appeared a moment later with a stack of books. He set them on the desk in the main room with a heavy thud.

"What's going on?" Vergil asked as he set down the basket he'd been carrying.

"Research man. I'm no good at this. I need your brain." Dante explained as he flopped down on the couch. "My head hurts."

"The brain is no different than the muscles Dante. If yours wasn't so lazy and being filled with junk then it could handle a bit of reading periodically"

"Big words, owww... Shut up." Dante grumbled as he squeezed the bridge of his nose dramatically.

"That's his way of asking for help apparently." Amy said turning to look at Vergil. "He could just ask..."

"...but that would require thought." Vergil finished.

"Ames... I'm crushed. Really..." Dante groaned. "I recommend starting at the top and working your way through though."

"What are you looking for?" Vergil asked.

Amy watched as Dante, briefly, got a serious look on his face. Then on cue he grinned.

"I need to talk with you Verge... Ames, if you could just sort the books for me? Pretty please?" Dante asked sweetly. But she was looking cautiously at him because he was hiding something. Years by his side had taught her to keep an eye out for the signs. Yet she didn't push it.

"These books?" She asked as she moved forward to point at the stack on his desk.

"Those ones."

"OK."

At this Dante stood to stretch and ushered Vergil away into his side office causing Amy to stare at the door as they went. She didn't like the fact whatever this conversation was did not include her but at the same time she didn't want to press them.

So she did the only logical thing and waited a few minutes before moving to press her ear to the door. OK, so it wasn't logical but it would make her feel better.

"Amy! Get away from the door!" Dante yelled out which made her freeze. She waited a moment holding her breath and hoping she could just pretend she wasn't there. "Don't make me tie you to a chair..."

"Oh fine...," she grumbled as she pushed away and went back over to the books.

The stack of dusty old books looked nothing like what she thought a devil hunter would have. They looked new despite their dust and unused. Considering they were from Dante's private collection and not the standard ones on the wall out here it made more sense. He would rather look at his magazines than read up on whatever was inside these.

So she began dusting them off and organizing them only to find none had names or authors.

_So how am I supposed to organize these?_

That was obvious. She wasn't, or at least he didn't care whether she did or not as long as it got her out of the way so he could talk with Vergil. Curiosity was itching as she wondered what they could be talking about in there. But he would sense her if she moved too close.

"I can hear," a voice called out startling her as she turned. "I hear everything."

"Hello?" Amy asked.

"Hello," the voice answered back.

Normally she would question, but then again wasn't she running from something? Amy started quickly for the office door but the voice called out.

"I'm not an enemy. I have just remained silent because it was Dante's wish," the voice continued and this time she could hear a distinct accent and that the voice was female.

Amy paused and turned as she heard the voice coming from the cabinet against the wall that was shared by Dante's office.

"What's your name?"

"Nevan," she replied in a sultry voice. "We have never met."

"Why are you in the cabinet?"

"Because Dante has locked me in here."

The voice sounded sorrowful and Amy was taken back. Why would Dante keep a woman in his cabinet?

"Even his father never treated me so..."

"You knew Sparda?" Amy asked a bit excitedly. She knew very little about their father.

"Of course. Such a handsome devil. Now he knew how to treat a lady properly." Nevan seemed to purr.

Despite her feelings of sympathy for the woman being locked in the cabinet this tone in her voice made Amy think twice about what exactly it was Nevan could be. As the doubt formed the woman spoke again.

"I can hear what they're talking about," she repeated when Amy went silent. "I can tell you if you like."

"Will you?" Amy asked cautiously. Nevan seemed a little too eager for someone who had never spoken to her before now.

"Of course... All I want in return is to be let out."

Which of course begged the question...

"Why were you put in there in the first place?"

Nevan went silent for a long moment before responding.

"Vergil... He and I don't... get along."

"Why?" Amy asked.

"Not that I don't try. Heaven knows I am more than willing to be on his good graces. Is it my fault if my hand strays when he's around?"

"Strays?"

"Like their father before them, both Dante and Vergil have grown into rather attractive men. Dante has been claimed by that... _woman_," she said adding an unpleasant tone when referring to, who Amy guessed, was Trish. "But Vergil has not yet been attached to anyone so--"

"Oh, he is. Trust me." Amy interrupted not wanting her to finish her comment. It slipped out of her mouth without much thought and Amy felt her cheeks flush as a few seconds of silence followed her declaration. She really couldn't say he was _attached_ to anyone since he didn't seem to reciprocate her feelings but this was the first time she ever realized that maybe... Vergil could be attached to someone other than _her_. Was she feeling jealous?

_Yes_.

"Really?" Nevan asked taking on a smiling tone that teased. "Is this Amy?"

She looked at the cabinet with a start.

"How do you know my name?"

"I told you. I hear everything and yours is a name dropped quite frequently since Vergil's return."

Now that itch from wanting to know what they were talking about in Dante's office went to a burn as to what Vergil might've said when she wasn't here at all.

"Let me out... and I'll tell you." Nevan pressed with an anxious voice.

Amy remained rooted to the spot, debating on whether or not she should. Dante kept her locked up for a reason, but would he have kept her around if she were dangerous? Yet she found her feet moving towards the cabinet anyway, only to stop mid-step when a knock came to the front doors.

"Don't answer it. Release me." Nevan called out.

"Quiet." Amy answered. She didn't know if she should even go for the door, but she didn't have to since it wasn't locked.

The door opened on its own, signaling a tinkle from the small bell above it and causing Amy to freeze.

After a moment a head poked itself in and Amy saw it was a very young man with tied back blonde hair, a thin face and deep blue eyes. His features though were strikingly effeminate to the point his face seemed out of place with the rest of him which was obviously male. His skin was a milky white, almost as if he had never seen a sunny day. While he was not exactly smiling his face was friendly when he caught sight of Amy if not a little stressed looking.

"Excuse me miss. I'm looking for a man named Dante?" He asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Well, he's busy in his office at the moment. Could you come back later?" Amy replied as she took a step closer to the desk.

The tall frame seemed to lose some of its confidence at her words and his face looked even more distraught. Amy thought he might cry at this news.

"Are you all right?" Amy asked watching him closely.

"Forgive me," he breathed out and Amy noticed he looked close to collapsing. When he teetered she moved forward but he put a hand out. "I'll be fine. It's just that I'm running out of time. My matter is most urgent. I must see Dante."

"Please, have a seat." Amy said not knowing what else to do. She'd never interacted with Dante's clientele in the past, so she wasn't sure what standard protocol was for this.

The man thanked her and took a seat on the couch barely noticing the dust and stuffing that flew up around him when he did. He looked tired, yet as he watched her he was trying his best to smile.

Called by his smile Amy recalled that she was alone with a complete stranger. It didn't take her long to decide it was time to bring Dante out, but as she turned to go for his office door the man took her wrist.

"It's my father. He's gone missing," he began before letting her arm go. "I didn't know who else to turn to and I believe Dante can help me find him again."

"Let me see if Dante will come out and talk to you." Amy replied cautiously as she backed away.

"Thank you," he said gratefully with a long and drawn out sigh as if relieved. He didn't try to prevent her from getting Dante, so she turned and went straight for the door.

She knocked lightly, glancing for a moment over her shoulder to see the man looking around the room. She knocked again and the door opened.

"You done going through the books?" Dante asked. "I have more--"

"You have a client." Amy interrupted.

"I do?" Dante asked with a frown. He stepped around her towards the living room and Amy peaked into his office to find Vergil standing against a wall frowning about something. She was going to ask if he was OK but she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Ames, there's no one out there."

Amy turned and looked at him before walking out into the main room to see no one sitting where she'd left the man.

"But he was just right here." Amy said moving around to the front of the couch as if something were blocking her view from the back. No indentation where he was. Even the dust and stuffing he'd knocked to the floor was gone. Almost like he'd never been there at all...

"What happened to your arm?" Vergil's voice suddenly asked and Amy turned to find him beside her. He took her arm and lifted it up only for Amy to see a red mark around her wrist. No... Not just a mark but a full hand print where the man had grabbed her earlier.

"What the--" Dante began before the mark suddenly lightened then vanished in front of their eyes.

Amy felt a shiver run through her and a pang in her heart.

"What was that?" She asked just staring down at the wrist. "That's bad right--"

"Calm down." Vergil said pensively as he pulled her wrist closer to his face, his eyes narrowing.

How could she calm down? The questions were running through her head.

_Was that _him_? Am I infected with something now? What does the mark mean?_

_...and I let him come in._

Amy's face fell away when she realized how stupid that had been. Why didn't she just go and get Dante the minute he knocked?

"Vergil?" Dante asked when his brother remained quietly staring at the now clear skin of her wrist. Vergil ran a hand over her skin and she shivered, bringing her back from her thoughts to remember he might have an answer to this.

"It's OK. There is no traces of the mark left behind." Vergil finally said yet did not let go of her wrist as he observed them both looking at him. "It was an illusion meant to scare her and undoubtedly us as well."

"Was that him?" Dante asked as his voice lowered angrily.

Vergil's eyes came to Amy's as if he were not eager to say anything in front of her. She on the other hand may have been willing to be shunted out here before, but this wasn't something she was going to be left out on. So she twisted her wrist slowly and took hold of his, squeezing it in supplication, following it up with a look that pleaded for him to be honest with her.

"Come," he said as he walked her towards the office with Dante following close behind looking apprehensive.

Vergil released her once they were inside and went to the desk to lean against the edge. He watched Dante until he had closed the door and then turned back to her.

"You mentioned nightmares Amy--"

"Verge." Dante interrupted but Vergil put his hand up to quiet him and somehow the tone of Dante's voice made Amy feel like something bad as about to happen.

"She deserves the truth of the situation. If I see anything now it is that ignorance to what is happening is only going to put her at further risk. When the element of fear makes no move it is very easy to become too relaxed. She's had no nightmares since coming and being with us you should rightly feel safer. But..."

His face grew serious and it did nothing to calm her.

"...you are vulnerable even here. The threat is not outside the gates, but close always. The nightmares you haven't had have somehow transferred to us. Both Dante and I have had fair warning from whatever this creature is in sleep."

"What?" Amy asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We didn't want to scare you. Anyone can see you've been wound up tight and it won't help to make it worse." Dante answered before Vergil could.

"That's part of it. We feared your reaction. That you might choose not to involve us any further and that is not an option here. Without us you are helpless." Vergil continued once Dante stopped.

"But...," she began but a knot formed in her throat. Those dreams began to come back into her head of finding them dead. Now whoever this thing was could get into their mind too? It wasn't the helplessness of her situation that scared her but how helpless she felt in terms of them. What if something happened to Dante or Vergil now that she had brought them in?

"Ames..."

She looked up and felt a few stray tears fall at the thought of it and saw why Dante's voice sounded so gentle, because his face looked worried at the sight of her typically solid exterior cracking only a bit. Amy quickly wiped them away.

"I won't let him win," she whispered trying to straighten her stature. "He can invade my mind, but I won't let him touch yours."

Dante let out a breathy laugh at her attempt at being what he thought was tough, but truthfully she felt she would do most anything to protect them even if she was weak in comparison.

Her eyes came back to Vergil's who was watching her curiously even as another tear escaped. Almost as if he could read her thoughts. The tear was for the thought in her head that she would never again lose Vergil. He would never be hurt again by anyone as long as she had the breath to prevent it. It was the vow she had made to herself that night at her apartment once she decided to come clean on her feelings. Even if she had to put her weak human body between him and the thing that threatened she would do it. She would die before anyone ever hurt him again.

"I won't lie though. In my dreams I saw you both dead at my feet." Amy continued trying to keep her composure.

"He shows you only what he knows you fear the most." Vergil said but his eyes seemed surprised by this revelation. "Is this... something you fear?"

Amy took a deep, steadying breath.

"Of course," she replied as if this should've been obvious to him by now.

"We're family." Dante added slinging an arm around her shoulders, saying the words she felt she could not say without Vergil possibly laughing at her. Hearing Dante confirming it though made her tense shoulders relax under his weight.

Vergil blinked at Dante, looked at her and then looked unexpectedly amused. But he didn't laugh, only put his hands in his pocket and let out a deep sigh.

"Once Trish and Lady have come home we will see what we can come up with. For the time being I recommend you are not unaccompanied, even inside the building. Once Lady returns you two will share her room. Until then Dante and I will take turns keeping watch on you as you sleep. I can give you a mild sedative that should allow you to sleep without dreams to at least ease your mind of fear." Vergil said in a long breath thoughtfully as if checking everything off in his list mentally in his head.

"He can't really hurt me in my dreams though, can he?" Amy asked.

"Well, the problem is Ames that we really just don't know. Until we know what _he _is then we're groping in the dark." Dante replied.

"But one thing is obvious. He can manipulate the mind in dreams yet isn't fully in control of his powers or else I wouldn't have been able to eradicate him from my dream the other night." Vergil added. "We could use this to our advantage on getting more information about him should he be foolish enough to try and invade our minds again," he continued looking at Dante.

"Dude needs to keep out of my dreams period. The only blonde in there should be Trish." Dante said resolutely with a smirk. "Next time, I'll show him a nightmare."

"The man that was out here. He was blonde." Amy said when Dante's words brought it back. "He said he was looking for his father."

"Did he?" Vergil asked.

"Yeah, but he could've been lying." Dante added with a doubtful look. "He could've been playing on her sympathies."

The two continued to theorize on this and as Amy watched them both slowly the fear and panic ebbed. It was hard not to ease in the face of their combined confidence. Hell, Dante's confidence alone would've done it, but to see Vergil so keen to the idea of protecting her...

Well, she'd be lying if she didn't feel severely good about that.

"First things first though bro." Dante said.

"What's that brother?"

"Once the girl's come home, we're due to give Ames a proper welcome."

--

"Absolutely not!" Vergil said pointedly to Dante.

"Oh come on... We can't keep her cooped up here this whole time. It's a tradition for me and her when she comes for a proper visit." Dante shot back from across his desk.

Vergil pinched the bridge of his nose annoyed.

It had been a few days since Amy arrived and they had had the scare of that man walking straight in the front doors without any hesitation. Many days and nights followed where Vergil was on edge to make sure nothing else happened on his watch while anxiously hoping the bastard would invade his mind again.

But of course he didn't.

Things were bad enough being cooped up inside all this time with his twin, who could easily drive him mad if Dante became bored, but the added tension of being so close with Amy and Dante was wearing his patience thin. He had to face the fact that even with time he still had little patience with everyone unbiased.

And perhaps another side of him was still aggravated with the girl for letting that man in so easily... It was a mistake, this he knew, but it could've been a costly one. Worse yet knowing it had happened when he himself was just in the next room and he'd sensed _nothing_. It made even him feel helpless for a mere moment, something he had not experienced since... his mother's death.

And now, after days of respite from any sense of trouble or danger the girls had returned. With them brought a grim prospect that Dante was dead set on.

"Listen Verge, if we keep her like this it's only going to freak her out more. We have to add a sense of normalcy to this even if it's for a night." Dante added purposely when Vergil did not respond.

He was referring to the fact that it had been a long standing tradition that he and Amy go out to celebrate for a night whenever she came to visit him. Made worse by his excuse the last time she came _someone _had made the mood so icy there was no merriment to be had.

"I thought we already discussed this Dante? Taking her to a crowded bar and letting your guard down will only mean trouble for her. If you want to protect her then forget this." Vergil said stubbornly crossing his arms.

"I not only want to protect her, but I also care about how she's doing. She's on edge with every passing day even if she doesn't show it. She won't even look out the windows and I can't help but feel that's because of the fear we put in her. We can still protect her, but if we cut her off from life completely then what will _that _do to her?"

Vergil tapped his fingers on the desk eyeing him.

While the atmosphere between them had changed, Amy did seem rather resolute to abide by every law he set in place to the point it surprised him. It had eased his annoyance to see she was trying, obviously sorry for what had occurred and not willing to let it happen again. But with that obedience came a calming of her natural flare. He knew what Dante spoke of, because he'd seen it too. He always wondered what would happen to lock her away from the world, notably under different circumstances, but he was finding it out regardless.

"We'll be with her all night. You can even dictate how long we stay. Just give the girl some breathing room." Dante said in a last ditch effort to win Vergil over.

"I will not bend on this."

_Alive is better even if it means she wilts._

"We're going with or without you Vergil."

"Then you go without. This is a bad idea and I will have no part in it."

Dante blinked at him and pushed back from bending over on the other side of the desk to stand tall.

"Fine then. You do what you want."

With that Dante turned and walked away towards the gym.

Vergil felt extremely annoyed, glad that the girls were all upstairs and not privy to their bickering. Dante was far too loose for his own good and it did not bode well with Vergil at all.

Of course while he said he would not go he would more than likely hang around outside to keep an eye on them for the sake of safety. The fact that Dante couldn't see how important this was only made him angrier.

Yet it was his twins ability to recognize and sympathize with Amy's unspoken fears that made Dante a very good Devil Hunter. It was something he never had...

When Trish and Lady came back they had nothing to report on the topic Dante had asked of them which only darkened his mood. They explained that there were bad storms on the way back and anytime Lady tried to use her wireless it didn't work properly.

"Besides, we have a better selection here." Lady said appreciatively glancing towards the bookshelf.

"And the blessing of not having to read while driving." Trish added thoughtfully.

"It's not like you could _die _if you got in an accident." Vergil had pointed out foolishly, forgetting that Lady was human and causing the hellcat to give him such a glare he found himself looking elsewhere.

"What do you see in this jerk?" Lady had asked in an insulting groan towards Amy who was drinking from a cup at the time and almost choked at that question. "If we left him in charge you'd be dead in a day."

In the days before the girls returned Dante and he had taken turns staying in Amy's room while she slept just as a precaution. It was better she wasn't left alone and when Lady came home they would be sharing a room. Though human, Lady was just as capable as them to watch over her. It was more a need for someone else to be with her.

On the nights he was there he did not believe she really slept, or tried not to as she fought the sedative he gave her long enough to talk with him in private. Unlike before she was open about her life since his "demise" and what she had done. Still teaching piano lessons, Amy had managed to move up to a simple office job that helped keep a roof over her head. She did not have any close friends outside of her work place but swore that Dante was a handful all by himself.

But this of course made him wonder if she had... other relationships over the years. He could not deny the thoughts had always been there. But this was one thing she never spoke of and he never asked.

Tonight Dante would be taking the three girls out and Vergil couldn't settle. He doubted he would until they caught this thing and he felt she was safe again.

--

He sat reading as everyone else moved about around him. Dante was absentmindedly looking for a boot that Vergil could see under the other couch from where he was sitting. He decided though to let Dante find it on his own as a form of private revenge and to delay their departure.

"Lady! Don't forget to clear out the back seat." Dante called as he looked _behind _the couch. _Getting warmer..._ Vergil thought with a devious smirk.

Lady walked by and kicked the boot he had on while he knelt on the couch.

"I thought you were going to clean it out!" She snapped.

"I was, until I just now passed the chore onto you. Unless of course you'd like to look for my boot for me?" He grinned as he turned to look at her. She lifted a brow and looked at Vergil, who glanced briefly at the _lost_ boot before looking back at her. Her eyes momentarily fell to the boot before looking to Vergil with a smirk.

"No Dante, you keep looking," she quipped as she walked towards the front door, opened it, and slipped through with a final wink at Vergil.

Moments later Trish rushed down looking for Lady. Dante pointed towards the door without a word. Trish rolled her eyes and went after her.

"Ahhhh, found it!" Dante chimed as he finally bent over and tugged his boot out from under the couch. He sat down and began to pull it on when a shout was heard from overhead.

"A little help up here! Lady? Trish?" Amy called from Lady's room. "Hell, I'll even settle for Dante!"

"That cheeky little..." Dante said partly growling partly laughing. "Hey Verge, think she's naked?"

Vergil gave him a stern look.

"Ahahahaha. I'm busy with my boots, go see what she's harping about would ya?"

"She asked for you," he replied looking back at his book.

"She said three different names which leads me to believe she could care less who goes up there. Now scoot, or I'll force you to come with us tonight and hook you up with the bar tender Lucy." Dante replied as he laced up his boots.

"That's not much of a threat."

"She's 50, been married fours times, and has about 8 children. Her nickname is Loosey Goosey," he grinned. Vergil stood and tossed the book at him, which he caught before leaning back to watch his brother ascend the stairs.

Vergil walked to the door and knocked, to which Amy pulled the door open before walking back into the room.

"This is absurd! I have been clasping my own necklaces for most of my life, and in one fell swoop these damn nails Trish gave me have made me incapa--..." Amy started as she turned to see not any of the three she asked for, but Vergil standing in the open doorway.

They stood and stared at each other, she with a rosy hue creeping into her cheeks at the intense stare he was giving to her. She was dressed up and it was the first time Vergil had ever seen her that way. When they knew each other as teens the girls had not been permitted to wear make up. Mostly due to the fact the old crone who ran the place was against vanity. Then when they met the last time it was hardly the place, time, or situation for such things.

Now though Amy was in a white sundress that looked like it might be made of soft velvet. It was above the knee, with thin straps at the shoulder and a delicately loose bow at the center just under her bust. She wore her hair down, her silky strands straightened to show both the layers and different hues of red in the light from the lamps. She was wearing make up too, just enough to make her normally large eyes look even more so and greener than he had ever seen them. It was her mouth though that he couldn't stop looking at. It was glossed over with a rosebud tint, and against his will he began to wonder how they felt...even how they tasted.

"Oh," she said in a whisper. "Hi."

"Did you need help?" Vergil asked after feigning a cough to compose himself. Amy nodded and lifted a necklace up. Vergil stepped forward and took the delicate chain from her hands. He looked from it back to her, and she quickly dropped her eyes from his. "Turn around."

Amy did as asked, and he watched as she pulled her long hair away to expose her shoulders and neck. The strap on her shoulder fell and Amy quickly hiked it back up. Vergil realized that he had never really been able to look at her skin before, except that one time while under the influence of the necklace. He shivered as he remembered what it felt like to be so close to her and of how he felt at that moment when he finally gave in to those feelings.

Now though she was heading out with Dante and the others, had even gotten all dressed up. This was what she looked like when she was trying to attract members of the opposite sex. He felt a bit of anger bite at thinking of her possibly meeting someone while out tonight. Then reprimanded himself because his mind should be on supernatural dark shadows, not humanly hormonal ones.

Despite the fact he was unwilling to admit he cared for the girl, he could internally battle with that fact. She would always hold some of his fascination because of their history together, and his inability to get her away from him. Both physically and mentally. He wouldn't claim her and yet he considered her _his_. Since he was a teen, only to be reconfirmed when she had kissed him that night on her roof. One could say she sealed her fate with that kiss.

He moved forward and she stepped back into him as he lifted the chain up over her head. She stood perfectly still and he noticed a shiver run through her as his knuckle grazed the back of her neck. Goosebumps spread out before his eyes and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of delight at seeing despite her lack of attention to him she could not hide what was _undoubtedly _in her own thoughts. Possibly mirroring his own?

He purposely took his time and if she knew she didn't say one word. He could smell her lovely perfume and inherited her goose bumps as he did. It made him wonder if she could have such an effect on him, how would she fare in a bar full of drunken idiots? Would Dante keep a close eye on her? Or was Dante doing all this in hopes Vergil would be jealous? Was she doing this? His eyes darkened.

"I feel so silly getting all dressed up like this," Amy suddenly said as he finished clasping the necklace.

"It suits you," he replied. Amy turned around to face him and he saw her face light up.

"Really?" She asked. She was blushing like a school girl, and that damn lovely glow added to the effect of it all. Maybe it was the lighting, but she looked beautiful. The first time ever he had thought to think of her this way. It had nothing to do with physical looks, but just the way she smiled at him made his heart squeeze in his chest and purr like a contented house cat. The strap of her dress fell down again and Amy instinctively went to pull it up, but Vergil found his fingers got there first.

"Really," he said in a voice so tender it surprised even him. He let his fingers push the soft velvet strap up slowly because he wanted to feel her with his fingertips. Their eyes were locked on one another as if caught in time, just the two of them. Her girlish blush faded and was replaced by the look of a woman begging to be touched, and kissed. Strange how he should see it that way, but that was what he read in her heavily lidded eyes. Her lashes were so long, so soft he wanted to touch them too. Hell, he was pretty damned sure he would've touched her foot if she'd offered it to him.

Amy began to lean into him, shivering slightly as his fingers worked their way to finally put the strap on her shoulder. He felt a pleasurable growl deep within the closer she came to him. He wasn't ready to come to her, but he loved it when she made it so easy for him. So he leaned in, his hand snaking its way into her hair. He felt his entire body warm when he felt just how soft it was. He felt the ache of need that had been building over the years finally piquing the surface. He was beyond thinking what kissing her now could mean, because all he wanted just then was to remind himself what it felt like to be just Vergil in her eyes, and in her soft embrace.

He could smell her perfume and it was making him anxious as her warm breath was close enough to taste. Her glossy lips gave off a faint scent of strawberries... They were so close now, and soon he would taste...

"Time to go!" Dante chimed from the doorway. Amy pulled back, her eyes widening as she looked around like she didn't remember where she was. Then her eyes moved to Vergil just before Dante rounded him to block him from her view. "Ames! You look breathtaking! Who would've known under all that grit was a real lady?"

Dante actually lifted her up as Vergil looked on with a deep frown, his inner self growling for a completely different reason now. If looks could kill, Dante would die about 100 deaths in a mere second.

"Put me down." Amy said meekly, no doubt noticing the look Vergil was giving them. Dante did as he was asked, but held her arms out to get a better look.

"Doesn't she look beautiful Vergil? I'd better bring my sword with me tonight to help keep them off ya Amy." Dante grinned as he softly knocked her jaw with a wink. Amy smiled, but she kept glancing at Vergil.

As much as Vergil hated to admit it, Dante was right. Some moron... No, more than one moron would undoubtedly see her just as Vergil did and try to make a move. He doubted Amy would accept the offer, but even the idea of any man thinking he could move in on her made his blood boil. He knew better than anyone what thoughts could race through the mind...and other places... at seeing a beautiful woman alone at a bar. Dante would be too busy entertaining himself to keep an eye on her, and what if the guy in question wouldn't take no for an answer? That made his hair stand on end and now he wanted to beat up a man who existed only in his mind.

What if it was the _thing_ that was after her?

"Well my dear, it's time to go. It'll just be the four of us tonight." Dante chimed as he put an arm out for Amy. She looked at Vergil and he could see disappointment briefly in her eyes before taking his arm. "Don't wait up Verge!"

Dante walked to maneuver himself and Amy around Vergil. Vergil could feel her eyes glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes. As they walked by he could smell her perfume again wafting on the air as she passed. They didn't make it to the door.

"Wait," Vergil growled. He turned to see Dante glancing back at him with a knowing smile.

"Yes Verge?" He grinned a little too expectantly. Vergil sneered at him.

"Give me five minutes."


End file.
